In her review of my book Well-Kept Secrets: The Story of William Wordsworth (11 April), Freya Johnston, in referring to the secrets alluded to in the title, mentions Wordsworth’s relationships with his sister Dorothy and his illegitimate daughter Caroline. But she does not include his great autobiographical poem The Prelude, which was finished in 1805 but remained a secret until his death in 1850. Johnston says correctly that a few fragments were published in Wordsworth’s lifetime, but nothing that could have begun to give an idea of the complete poem.
Today The Prelude is considered central to Wordsworth’s oeuvre, but in his lifetime only a handful of people knew of its existence. His decision not to publish it shows that his desire to keep certain areas of his life private was not limited to intimate relationships but extended to his writing. This is significant for the way my book is organised, as I have moved constantly between the story of Wordsworth’s life and the poetry he wrote, to show the interaction of life and art. If one only considers the personal life of the poet, and not his work, one loses the balance and tension my book depends on.
Andrew Wordsworth
Panicale, Italy
