Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 – 1861), the English romantic poet,  demonstrated an early aptitude for her future calling —  she began reading novels at age six, and wrote her first significant poem at about age seven.

By age eleven, she wrote a four-volume poem, The Battle of Marathon (1820), privately published by her father.

At age fifteen, Elizabeth contracted the mysterious illness that would become her lifelong battle. It left her frail and in constant pain. It has been suggested by her biographers that the strong opiate medication given to her might have augmented her already fiercely vivid imagination that was evident in her evocative poetry. Read More→