Trollope's life as a writer, civil servant, and world traveler is without parallel in the Victorian era. Explore the highlights through a brief biography and then delve into detail on specific aspects of his life and work.
Early Years, 1815-1850
Anthony Trollope, one of the most prolific and enduring novelists of the Victorian era, was born on April 24, 1815, in London. His early life was marked by personal hardship and tragedy and significant professional struggles -- but also the seeds of literary skill and ambition that would come to define his legacy. ​
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Though the Trollope family was of the highest social class (descended from the Trollope baronetcy granted by Charles I in 1642), Anthony's childhood was overshadowed by dysfunction and financial instability. His father, Thomas Anthony Trollope, was a barrister whose bad temperament and opinionated stances led him ultimately to fail in his chosen profession. His mother, Frances (Fanny) Trollope, was a spirited and independent woman who achieved literary success at a crucial moment for the family (and would go on to enjoy a long and productive writing career). Anthony (henceforth simply Trollope), the fourth of six surviving children (Thomas (Tom), Arthur, Henry, Anthony, Cecilia, Emily), was born at the family house on Keppel Street in Bloomsbury but wouldn't live there for long. In late 1816 Thomas moved his family to the countryside in Harrow to fulfill his dream of becoming a country squire: he took a long and expensive lease on 157 acres at Illots Farm, building a grand house, named Julians (which Trollope would later remember as "the grave of all my father's hopes, ambitions and property, the cause of my mother's sufferings and of those of her children...)[1] For the next decade he divided his time between a gradually shrinking law practice in London and farming -- in which he had no prior experience. Financial strains caused by excessive spending, bad agricultural conditions and a dying law practice forced Thomas to sublet Julians and take a smaller house (Julian Hill), but the economic respite was only temporary -- in 1828 Thomas, suffering from growing health problems, abandoned his law practice for good and moved yet again, this time to Harrow Weald, "a wretched tumbledown farmhouse..."[2] To be sure, the earliest years in the Harrow countryside had moments of happiness -- Thomas and Fanny were devoted to their by now five children (Arthur having died in 1824), and the family had an active circle of friends. But as financial distress increased, especially in the years after 1830, family life became increasingly unsettled and strained.
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Trollope's formal educational experience during these key years was unpleasant and erratic. At age seven he was sent to Harrow School as a "day boarder" or "charity boy," enduring bullying due to his family’s increasing poverty. His unkempt appearance, lackadaisical manner, and family standing made him an easy target for continual harassment, fostering a sense of inferiority that lingered into adulthood. In 1825, he attended Sunbury Academy and in 1827 moved to Winchester College, where he again faced ostracism. He then returned to his studies at Harrow in 1831 for two more years; after failing to gain entry into Oxford due to lack of available scholarships Trollope's formal education was over. His brother Tom was more fortunate, completing his degree at Oxford before embarking on a teaching, and then writing, career.
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While these tragedies were unfolding Trollope, through her mother's connections, became a clerk at the General Post Office (GPO) in London. The junior position provided much-needed direction and income but was also a source of frustration. Trollope found the work tedious and his colleagues unsympathetic, later describing his early years at the Post Office as “wretched.” His personal life was also in turmoil: Trollope's carelessness with money and penchant for spending and gambling led to growing debts, and a six month period of illness in 1840 came close to taking his life.
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​Trollope's fortunes began to change in 1841 when he was transferred to Ireland as a GPO surveyor's clerk, stationed in Banagher. Ireland offered a fresh start, with job independence, a higher salary and a less judgmental social environment. He soon thrived in the rural setting, contributing effectively to postal duties, integrating into local society -- and beginning what would become a lifelong passion for horses and hunting. His time in Ireland also brought a personal change: in 1844 he married Rose Heseltine, the daughter of a Rotherham bank manager. The marriage provided companionship and stability, Rose becoming his lifelong partner on the home front, in travel and in his writing. The couple soon settled in Clonmel -- where sons Henry (or Harry, 1846) and Frederic (or Fred, 1847) were born -- and moved to Mallow in the following year as Trollope's work responsibilities grew. Despite his seeming good fortune, family tragedy was not far away; his sister Cecilia died in 1849, leaving behind her husband and five children.
Trollope's literary career began during this period. Inspired by a decade of personal journal writing, his love of conjuring up stories in his mind, his mother’s success as an author and his own observations of Irish life, he started his first novel, The Macdermots of Ballycloran, in 1843; it was published in 1847 to no particular success, but gave him the motivation to continue. His second novel, The Kellys and the O’Kellys (1848), also drew on Irish themes but similarly failed to gain traction -- as did his third, the French historical novel La Vendee (1850). These early works, though commercially unsuccessful, laid the groundwork for his later triumphs.
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By 1850, Trollope, now 35, was happily married with two sons and making good professional strides at the GPO -- and had published his first novels. While his literary breakthrough was still years away, the period from 1815 to 1850 was crucial in shaping Trollope’s resilience, work ethic, and keen eye for observation and detail. These qualities would soon propel him to prominence as a chronicler of Victorian life.
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In late 1827, with Tom and Trollope in school, Fanny and three of the children (Cecilia, Emily, and Henry) embarked on a two-year trip to America, eventually setting up a shopping emporium in Cincinnati which, though unsuccessful, provided experiences and observations that would inform her first book, Domestic Manners of the Americans, published in 1832 to popular acclaim. Her success allowed the family to move back to Julian Hill, at least temporarily. Unfortunately, the financial relief from her book earnings was short lived, and the family's economic woes soon deepened: in early 1834 the Trollopes fled to Bruges to escape creditors. ​The stay on the Continent was marked by enormous difficulties: Thomas, increasingly ill, provided no income, meaning Fanny had to support the family by writing late at night; she also had to care for Henry, who was ill with tuberculosis (he died in late 1834). Thomas' own death followed in 1835. Freed from creditor obligations, Fanny moved back to Barnet, England, with Emily, who died soon after their return (also from tuberculosis).
Pinnacle of Success, 1851-1870
From 1851 to 1870 Trollope grew from a struggling novelist into one of the Victorian era’s most celebrated authors, even as he continued his work at the GPO. Despite the commercial failure of his early novels, he remained undeterred, writing daily. He adhered to a disciplined 5am wakeup call that let him write early in the morning before going on to his postal duties; the GPO was, of course, his only source of income and he both wanted and needed to take his duties seriously. Indeed, Trollope came to be a talented and respected civil servant, advancing through diligent work and transformational recommendations. During his two-year secondment to England starting in 1851 a trip to Jersey led him to recommend the installation of mail pillar boxes (such as he had seen in France) to improve convenience and delivery times -- these were soon introduced throughout Britain, significantly transforming postal operations. His professional diligence earned him further kudos, and in 1853 he was appointed Surveyor of the Northern District of Ireland (first in Belfast, then Dublin), with an increase in salary and responsibilities.
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Trollope’s literary career gained traction in the mid-1850s. In 1855, he published his fourth -- and breakthrough -- book, The Warden (the first of his six Barsetshire novels); the book's nuanced characters and gentle satire resonated with readers, generating meaningful book sales and strong critical acclaim -- and marked his first real success as a writer. Encouraged, Trollope soon wrote Barchester Towers (1857), a bolder, more humorous sequel that cemented his reputation for observation and characterization. But it was 1861's Framley Parsonage that truly brought Trollope to the fore: his first serialized novel was enormously popular, and he soon became a household name.
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​The 1860s were Trollope’s most productive decade as a writer: he published at a great rate, adhering to his strict schedule and producing some 3,000 words per day. Along with his travel book North America (1862), he averaged two novels a year, including several that enjoyed both critical and public acclaim, namely Orley Farm (1862), The Small House at Allington (1864), and The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867) (which, to the chagrin of the reading public, concluded the Barsetshire series). He also wrote numerous short stories, articles and travel related books and launched the Palliser series with Can You Forgive Her? (1864) and Phineas Finn (1869). The Palliser works -- which blended romance, satire, and ambition with parliamentary and political conflict -- resonated with Victorian readers for their realism and moral complexity. To be sure, not all of his writing ventures succeeded; his editorship of the newly established Saint Paul's Magazine (late 1866) was short-lived as he struggled to align its content with public taste, and books such as The Struggles of Brown, Jones, Robinson (1870) and his three short Continental novels (1867-1872), failed to resonate with the public.
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Trollope’s home and professional life shifted during the second half of the 1860s. While Rose remained his anchor and partner in daily life, society, and travel (and was his only true writing confidant), the two boys had by now grown and begun their own lives: Harry studied law but eventually turned to writing and translating (spending much time on the Continent), while Fred emigrated to Australia to begin life as a sheep farmer (and, eventually, a civil servant). And Trollope’s health, robust in his youth, began showing signs of deterioration. Following some disputes with GPO management, and after being overlooked for promotion, Trollope retired in 1867, capping a very successful three-decade career. The following year, newly liberated from his work duties and interested in pursuing a political career, Trollope decided to stand as a Liberal candidate for the borough of Beverley; he lost handily as a result of corrupt election practices, but came away with experiences that inspired the successful novel Ralph the Heir (1871) and helped inform several of his successful Palliser novels of the 1870s.
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By 1870, Trollope, now 55, had become a popular and respected author, with over 20 novels to his name and a post-retirement financial income that allowed him to pursue his trio of interests: writing, horses and travel. This marked the highwater mark of his writing career, both in terms of the amount he commanded for each new work, and the number of books his publishers were able to sell. As the reading public shifted its tastes, critics and commentators paid less attention to each new volume he wrote, and his public profile began its slow fade.
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Travel also featured during these years: GPO business found Trollope on special missions to Egypt, Malta, Gibraltar, the West Indies and Central America (which yielded his first travel book, The West Indies and The Spanish Main (1859)), while annual leaves had the family making frequent excursions to the Continent (and particularly to Florence, where Tom and Fanny had settled).
Trollope left Ireland for good in 1859 -- following his promotion to Surveyor of England's Eastern district -- and settled the family in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, some 12 miles from London. The move brought him into London’s literary and social circles, where he befriended figures like William Thackeray and George Eliot and developed closer relationships with his publishers. He also joined several private clubs (including the Cosmopolitan, the Athenaeum and the Garrick), which would become an essential part of his social and professional life for the next 15 years. His income from writing soon surpassed that of his postal salary, allowing him to renovate Waltham and maintain a comfortable lifestyle (and indulge his ever-increasing passion for horses and hunting).
Later Years,1871-1882
​In 1873 Trollope and Rose moved from Waltham to Montagu Square, London -- and to the center of society, friends and club life. Having resigned from the GPO in 1867, he devoted himself fully to writing, maintaining his steady output of up to 3,000 words per day. His financial means, bolstered by his writings and dividends, allowed for a very comfortable lifestyle, including a household staff, regular hunting, social engagements with literary peers and society figures, frequent trips to the Garrick and the Athenaeum, and a great deal of overseas travel. However, the 1870s also brought personal and professional challenges: Trollope's health began to decline further (he suffered from asthma and angina, undoubtedly exacerbated by his relentless pace) and his work achieved lower prices in the marketplace as the reading public turned its attention to other writers. Despite these issues, he maintained his creativity and discipline, publishing 15 novels and several non-fiction works during his final decade.
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In 1880 Trollope and Rose left London for rural Harting, Sussex, seeking a quieter life and a healthier environment. Trollope had mixed feelings about the move, realizing that the vibrant "London phase" of his life had come to an end, and resigning himself to living out his days in Harting. By mid-1882 Trollope’s health was in obvious decline, but he ignored the pleas of doctors and family to slow down. Indeed, he remained very active, hosting friends at Harting, going occasionally into London, and travelling to Ireland for further research for The Landleaguers. But the end came soon enough: he suffered a stroke in November while visiting family and friends in London. He died five weeks later, aged 67, at a nursing home in Marylebone, survived by Rose (who outlived him by 30 years), and his two sons. His death marked the end of a remarkable writing career that produced 47 novels, 19 collections of short stories and non-fiction works, and myriad articles -- and a life equally full in other respects: a loving family, a long and successful career at the GPO, extensive world travel and -- his beloved horses and hunting. Despite a posthumous decline in stature, critics and scholars in the 1910s and 1920s began reassessing favorably Trollope's body of work, leading to renewed interest by the public and a steady republishing of his books for the first time since his death. Though Trollope himself predicted his work would soon be forgotten, he was quite wrong: he is now recognized as one of the great Victorian novelists and more than two centuries after his death his works are still widely read.
Trollope added regularly to the Palliser series during the 1870s, bringing out the popular The Eustace Diamonds (1873), the Phineas Finn sequel Phineas Redux (1873), The Prime Minister (1876) and The Duke’s Children (1880). Beyond these Palliser novels, he published Lady Anna (1874) and perhaps his most ambitious novel, The Way We Live Now (1875) -- a scathing critique of financial corruption and social climbing that is now considered his masterpiece (though it initially received mixed reviews for its dark tone). He also wrote two more travel books: Australia and New Zealand (1873), based on the 1871–72 trip he and Rose took to Australia to visit Fred, and South Africa (1877) based on a 5-month solo trip to the colony. Some of his later works, including Is He Popenjoy? (1878), The Fixed Period (1882) and Ayala’s Angel (1881) received only lukewarm responses, while the psychological An Eye for an Eye (1879), John Caldigate (1879), and Dr. Wortle’s School (1881) fared somewhat better. Still, overall appetite for his books had by now declined and critics increasingly ignored his work -- facts that troubled and disappointed Trollope. His final (incomplete) novel, The Landleaguers (1883), published posthumously, returned to themes of Ireland. His Autobiography, written in 1875-1876, was also released after his death.
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