Selected Letters

A rare glimpse into the mind of a brilliant young poet through his beautifully written letters

These extraordinary letters give the fullest and most poignant record we have of John Keats’s aspirations as a poet, his life as a literary man about town, his close relationship with his siblings, and, later, his passionate, jealous, and frustrated love for Fanny Brawne. With an insightful introduction and notes by renowned Keats scholar John Barnard, this is an indispensable companion to the works of one of the greatest poets of all time.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.John Keats (1795–1821) published several volumes of poetry during his short life, including Endymion, The Eve of St. Agnes, La Belle Dame sans Merci, and The Fall of Hyperion, which established his reputation.

John Barnard is emeritus professor of English at the University of Leeds and is the editor for the Penguin Classics edition of John Keats's Complete Poems.