By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) was one of the most technically accomplished poets of the Victorian age. But as well as the sheer range of forms he mastered, there is the daring subject matter he sometimes wrote about. (He was also a colourful figure, known for his saucy private life as much as for his poetry, and tales of his naked sliding down banisters are well-known.) Below, we introduce ten of Swinburne’s greatest poems, showcasing the full range of his talents.