The Immortal Dinner

Between Christmas and new year of 1817 the eccentric painter B.R. Haydon gave a famous dinner party. His guests included three of the greatest literary stars of the age: the poets John Keats and William Wordsworth and the essayist and wit Charles Lamb. They recited poetry took part in ridiculous antics indulged in high-minded discussions - with such displays of brilliance that the party became known as the Immortal Dinner. Penelope Hughes-Hallett celebrates this famous evening setting it against a backdrop of change reflected in the preoccupations of the illustrious diners. A compelling and sympathetic picture emerges of these rare spirits and the age which created them.