Robert Browning was born at Camberwell, May 7, 1812, and died at Venice,
December 12, 1889. Browning's father, as his grandfather had been, was
employed in the Bank of England. Mr. Browning, who was an indulgent
father, decided that his son's education should be under private tutors.
This lack of being educated with other boys is sometimes supposed to
have been one of the causes why Browning found difficulty in expressing
his thoughts clearly to other people. It was at first planned that
Browning should become a lawyer, but as he had no taste for this, his
father agreed to allow his son to adopt literature as a profession.
When Browning had made his choice, he read Johnson's Dictionary for
preparation. _Pauline_, his first published poem, attracted almost no
attention, but Browning kept on writing, regardless of inattention. The
actor, Macready, with whom he became friendly, turned Browning's
attention to the writing of plays, but he was never successful as a
writer for the stage. On his return from his second visit to Italy, in
1844, he read Miss Elizabeth Barrett's _Lady Geraldine's Courtship_ and
expressed so much appreciation of this poem that, on the suggestion of a
common friend, he wrote to tell Miss Barrett how much he liked her work.
This was the beginning of one of the famous literary love affairs of the
world. Although Miss Barrett was several years older than Browning and a
great invalid, they were married, against family opposition, in 1846,
and went immediately to Italy. Mrs. Browning's health was now much
improved, and she lived till 1861. On her death, Browning, greatly
overcome, returned to England. Gradually he went more and more into
society, and as his popularity as a poet increased, he became a
well-known figure in public. He continued writing throughout his life.
He died at his son's house in Venice in 1889.