22 Dec Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope was a prolific Victorian novelist, best known for The Chronicles of Barsetshire (six novels, 1855-67) that describe the social affairs of the fictional county of Barsetshire. Two of the novels were splendidly adapted by the BBC as The Barchester Chronicles (1982), with the late and greatly missed Alan Rickman in his first starring role as the smarmy Reverend Slope. George Eliot gave credit to the Chronicles for inspiring her masterpiece Middlemarch (1871-72).

Trollope’s popularity waned after his death (in London in 1882 aged 67) but there has been a revival in recent times. Much of this is due to the TV adaptation of his books, including He Knew He Was Right (1869) and the satirical novel The Way We Live Now (1875). Both were brilliantly adapted by the BBC (2004 and 2001 respectively), the latter starring David Suchet. It’s a shame, therefore, that Trollope has been commemorated only by a memorial stone in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.