Contemporary and friend of the Pre-Raphaelite group, Tennyson, Alice Meynell, and most of the famous literary figures of the Victorian age, Patmore 'cared little for the crowd' and was outside and indifferent to the main stream of the poetry of his period. He first won admiration and fame with his poem "The Angel in the House", in which he expounded his philosophy of human and divine love. This work was largely inspired by his love for his wife. Later, after her death, and after his conversion to Roman Catholicism, he completed "The Unknown Eros" - poetry of a very much more advanced order than his earlier work but which was neglected by the critics (who had condemned the popularity of "The Angel in the House"). Now Patmore is enjoying a revival and a truer valuation of his work among the younger generation.
The editor of this selection, Derek Patmore, is a great-grandson of the poet, and author of "The Life and Times of Coventry Patmore".