Anthony Trollope
A Victorian literary workhorse who wrote 47 novels by a rigid daily schedule, capturing the politics and hypocrisies of his age with sharp, steady wit.
1815–1882 (age 67)·English novelist·Birthday: April 24
Biography
Anthony Trollope stands as one of the most industrious and perceptive chroniclers of Victorian society. For much of his adult life, he was a dedicated postal surveyor, a job that involved constant travel across England and Ireland. He famously disciplined himself to write 250 words every 15 minutes before his day job began, a method that produced an astonishing output. His two great novel sequences—the 'Barsetshire' novels, set in the world of cathedral clergy, and the 'Palliser' novels, exploring political machinations in London—form a sprawling, interconnected portrait of 19th-century England. Trollope's genius was his steady, unsentimental gaze; he dissected social climbing, electoral corruption, and the tensions between money and morality with a psychologist's eye. While sometimes criticized in his time for being too plain, his reputation has soared for the sheer reliability and depth of his social observation, offering a more nuanced and comprehensive picture of his era than many of his flashier contemporaries.
#1 When Anthony Was Born
The biggest hits of 1815
Anthony's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1815Born
1820Started school
1828Became a teenager
1831Could drive
1833Could vote
1836Turned 21
1845Turned 30
1855Turned 40
1865Turned 50
President: Andrew Johnson
1875Turned 60
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1882Died at 67
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
Key Achievements
- Authored 47 novels, including two major series: the six-novel Chronicles of Barsetshire and the six-novel Palliser novels.
- Created the enduring fictional character of Plantagenet Palliser, a deeply principled politician, and his wife, the vibrant Lady Glencora.
- Introduced the pillar box (public mail collection box) to Britain while working as a senior official for the Post Office.
- His novel 'The Way We Live Now' is considered a masterful satire of Victorian financial speculation and corruption.
Did You Know?
He claimed to have written his early novels on a portable writing desk while riding on trains as part of his postal service duties.
Trollope's mother, Frances Trollope, was a successful novelist in her own right, publishing her first book at age 53.
He once ran for a seat in the House of Parliament, finishing last and losing his deposit, an experience he used in his political novels.
In his autobiography, he revealed his strict writing routine and exact word counts, which some contemporary critics felt demystified the artistic process.
“There is no way of writing well and also of writing easily.”
