Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson - Softcover

‘Enthralling and perceptive ... A fine biographer has conjured up a dazzling personality and brought her, laughing, back to life.’ Sunday Times

‘Mary Robinson, scandalous darling of the 18th-century stage and letters, is given a welcome rebirth. A full-scale literary biography ... a fitting tribute to her.’ Observer

‘Robinson’s is a life that bears the retelling. She cuts a figure in the history of celebrity culture and in literary history. Paula Byrne’s full-scale biography is cholarly, lively and important.’ Daily Telegraph

‘... a superbly researched and narrated life of a woman whose capacity for self-transformation, when combined with beauty, talent, wit and passion suggest that she may be the most interesting of all.’ Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times

Praise for Jane Austen and the Theatre:

‘This scholarly, perceptive book leaves you wanting more from the same author.’ Loraine Fletcher, Independent

Paula Byrne was born in Birkenhead and has a PhD from the University of Liverpool, where she is a Research Fellow in English Literature. Her first book, 'Jane Austen and the Theatre', was short-listed for the Theatre Book Prize. A regular contributor to the 'Times Literary Supplement', she lives in Warwickshire with her two young children and her husband, the critic and biographer Jonathan Bate.