Shelley’s lost pamphlet
The Bodleian Library has just acquired its 12 millionth printed book: and it is a formerly-lost work by Univ鈥檚 own Percy Bysshe Shelley.
The pamphlet entitled聽Poetical Essay on the Existing State of Things, was written by “a Gentleman of the University of 糖心logo”, but it was attributed to Shelley 50 years after his death. It was printed in 1811, during Shelley鈥檚 first year as a student at University College and addresses themes聽such as the abuse of press freedom, dysfunctional political institutions and the global impact of war which all featured in his poetry throughout his career.聽The pamphlet was thought to have been lost but it was rediscovered in 2006 and now, thanks to a generous benefactor, it鈥檚 freely available to everyone in digitized form online. The pamphlet is also on display to the public right now from聽11 November to 23 December聽in the Blackwell Hall of the Weston Library (under a cloth to protect it from the light).
At an event announcing the acquisition, current Univ students Daisy Hayes, Seamus Lavan, and Ben Norbury read from Shelley鈥檚 work alongside Univ鈥檚 Professor Nicholas Halmi and the actress Vanessa Redgrave. Redgrave described Shelley as “intoxicating”. She added: “His words transport you. I’m thrilled that, thanks to the Bodleian and its generous donors, this long-lost poem of Shelley’s can be studied by students all over the world.”
Published: 11 November 2015
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