Editorial

Let none despond–let none despair–Tomorrow the BorysthenesMay see our coursers graze at ease

(Mazeppa)

This issue opens with an obituary to Michael Rees, Brother Teilo of Caldey Abbey, by Bernard Beatty and Robin Byron. The Byron world has lately lost several of its beloved friends, and it is with great sadness that we have recently learned of the passing of two more, much-loved Romantic scholars: John Clubbe, former president of the IABS and the BSA, who left us on 24 February, a few days after his 84th birthday, and Fred Burwick, who died on 16 March, a day before his 86th birthday. Both will be sorely missed, and will be remembered in the next issue. For now, I hope that seeing Brother Teilo's smiling picture will make many of you remember him with a fond smile of your own.

The issue then goes on to explore a variety of exciting Byronic topics. The first essay, by Alan Rawes, illustrates Byron's dynamic engagement with Dante's Catholicism in The Prophecy of Dante, an aspect largely side-lined by the Romantic-era reception of Dante in Britain. The next essay, by Daniel Cook, explores Scottish aspects of Byron's oeuvre, uncovering intriguing elements that have been often overlooked. The third essay, by Julian S. Whitney, offers an eco-critical reading of Byron's 'Darkness', focusing on the theme of consumption. Two shorter essays follow – the first, by Emily Paterson-Morgan, presents us with an example of Caroline Lamb's work as a visual artist, arguing for a wider appreciation of Lamb's talent, above and beyond her biographical connections to Byron. The last contribution, by Stephen Allen, introduces us to a rediscovered copper printing plate of a Byron portrait and its compelling history. The issue is rounded off by Society reports from London and Italy, and this year's instalment of book reviews, covering diverse Byron-related material as well as broader Romantic scholarly publications, including a special issue of the Huntington Library Quarterly on Frankenstein edited by Jerrold Hogle.

After two years of pandemic disruptions, the first half of 2022 has seen Byronists travel to Newstead Abbey and Messolonghi. The summer months will bring various Romantic conferences, including the Bicentenary Shelley conference at Keats House and the joint BARS–NASSR conference at Edge Hill, but, sadly, not the planned IABS conference in Moscow. The Journal will continue to keep you up to date on all Byronic gatherings – for now, here's to a summer that brings us 'a scene of peace', soothing to our souls (CHP).