George Borrow in East AngliaDutt, William A. (William Alfred)
History
George Borrow in East Anglia
Dutt, William A. (William Alfred)
Borrow, George, 1803-1881
After visiting France, Austria and Italy, we eventually find him in St.
Petersburg, where he undertook the translation of the Bible into the
Mandschu-Tartar language, and issued in 1835, through Schulz and Beneze,
his “Targum; or Metrical Translations from Thirty Languages and
Dialects.” While in Russia, he made many friends amongst the nobility
there, who frequently invited him to their country homes. In the same
year that saw the publication of “Targum,” he returned home. His stay in
England, however, was a very short one. The British and Foreign Bible
Society was so satisfied with his work in Russia that they pressed him to
continue to serve them, and undertake a journey into Spain for the
purpose of circulating the Scriptures in that country. His travels in
Spain occupied over four years. While there he met Mrs. Mary Clarke, who
afterwards became his wife. This lady, who was the widow of a naval
officer, was connected with a Suffolk family which had been associated
with the village of Oulton for several generations. Their name was
Skeppar, and it was in their old Suffolk home by the side of Oulton Broad
that Borrow went to live on his return to England.
* * * * *
Borrow, who was now in his thirty-eighth year, set to work at Oulton upon
his “Bible in Spain,” which was published by Mr. John Murray, three years
later, in 1843. Of his method, or lack of method, in working, something
may be gathered from the preface to the second edition of “The Zincali,”
which was written about the time of the issue of the former book. Mr.
Murray had advised him to try his hand at something different from his
“sorry trash” {41} about gipsies, and write a work that would really be
of credit to the great firm in Albemarle Street. Borrow responded by
starting on an account of his wanderings in Spain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account