One of the prominent English Romantic poets, George Gordon Byron, known as Lord Byron (1788-1824), also wrote in prose. “Fragment of a Novel,” for example, was first published in 1819 in “Mazeppa,” a volume of poems and short stories, and influenced the writing of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” as well as English vampire literature. Born to a family of the aristocracy, social criticism on his life of debauchery led Lord Byron to move to Italy, where he became acquainted with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and author Mary Shelley. Among his notable works of poetry is the epic poem “Don Juan,” written over a period of six years. As a supporter of the Greek liberation movement against the Turks, he arrived in Greece. Lord Byron died of Malaria in Mesolongi, Greece, at the age of 36. His body was transferred to England and was buried there.
