Wednesday, 22 May 2024
A varied programme of public events celebrating the controversial life and legacy of Lord Byron will take place this summer across Nottinghamshire to mark the bicentenary of his death.
As part of Byron 200, the 糖心原创 in partnership with Nottingham Central Library and Newstead Abbey, part of the Nottingham City Museums and Galleries Service, has formed a city-wide collaboration to celebrate the anniversary with a focus on Byron’s connections to Nottingham.
Academics from across the Faculty of Arts will be delivering a series of fascinating free talks and workshops – from May to August 2024 – on the turbulent life and works of one of history’s most iconic Romantic poets.
Byron鈥檚 connections to and experiences in Nottingham and its environs shaped his life, writings and reputation. This exciting and wide-ranging collaboration between city-wide partners and researchers from the Faculty of Arts explores Byron鈥檚 many achievements, celebrates his lasting impact, and brings him back home to Nottingham.鈥�
It is 200 years since George Gordon Noel, the sixth Baron Byron, died in Missolonghi, Greece on 19 April 1824 fighting for Greek independence, before his body was returned to the UK and interred in Hucknall, Nottingham in July 1824.
Most are familiar with Byron as the ideal of the Romantic poet, who became an icon in history and literature, not just thanks to his beautiful and unparalleled command of the English language, but also by gaining notoriety for his scandalous private life.
But how many of us are aware of Byron’s influence on the image we have today of vampires? Dr Sam Hirst, an AHRC-funded Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of History, will explore the role the poet played in developing the vampire and how we owe this depiction – of the fanged creature hiding under the guise of an aristocratic predator extraordinaire – to him. The talk takes place on 17 June.
Not many people are familiar with Byron's wider work today, but his influence is everywhere in modern literature, film and culture. I'm excited to explore that through my talk, by diving into the world of the vampire and Byron鈥檚 role in making it what it is today 鈥� a figure loved and loathed, feared and desired, in equal measure!鈥�
Or did you know that Lord Byron kept a bear? While he was a student at Trinity College Cambridge, it was said he purchased the creature in defiance of the rules that banned students from keeping dogs in college. Professor Hannah O’Regan of the Department of Classics and Archaeology, along with writer and theatre maker Angela Clerkin, will host a creative writing workshop on the stories of , on 19 June.
In July 1824 Byron’s body travelled from the location where he died, Missolonghi in Greece, to London and then to his final resting place in St Mary Magdalene Church in Hucknall. What is less known is, that it was on this journey, that his body was laid in state in Nottingham so that people could come and pay their respects.
In homage to this event, Lying in State: Holographic Byron, an immersive and interactive installation, allows the audience to see and engage with a hologram of Byron, and ask ‘him’ questions, hear poetry, and more. The virtual reality experience, developed by the Virtual and Immersive Production (VIP) Studio, is free to access at Nottingham Central Library from 26 July to 5 August.
The development of the interactive Byron hologram experience will provide the city with a truly cutting-edge visitor attraction deploying the very latest in immersive technology coupled with the experiential storytelling capabilities of our collaborators Chronic Insanity.鈥�
A schedule of further compelling talks, including delivered by Dr Richard Gaunt of the Department of History, and , a talk by Dr Lydia Farina of the Department of Philosophy, will take place over the summer. Along with a lively panel discussion delivered by the Institute for Policy and Engagement which will showcase six guest speakers who will each share their views on the life and legacy of Lord Byron from different perspectives. The Byron 200 Lecture (£3 ticketed event) on 27 June, will open with a welcome from Greek-born Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis, Nottingham City Council’s Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health, and chaired by Associate Professor Richard Gaunt from the Department of History.
More details on the wider programme of Byron 200 events across Nottinghamshire can be found on the and the websites.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Anna Walas, Faculty of Arts Knowledge and Impact Manager, via anna.walas@nottingham.ac.uk; or Dr Colette Davies, Faculty of Arts Knowledge and Impact Manager, via colette.davies2@nottingham.ac.uk
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