Description

George Borrow (1803-1881) was a British author, adventurer, and agent of the Bible Society whose journeys in the mid-nineteenth century took him to both Russia and Spain. His experiences are reflected in books including The Zincali (1841) and his best-known publication, The Bible in Spain (1843). Described by Borrow as 'the journey, adventures, and imprisonment of an Englishman in an attempt to circulate the scriptures in the peninsula', it is mostly a compilation of his voluminous correspondence with the Bible Society. Borrow describes his impressions of several Spanish cities and his interactions with the local population, including Gypsies, whose culture he found particularly fascinating. He discusses his efforts to publish and distribute the New Testament among Spanish Catholics and recounts his resulting arrest and imprisonment. The book, an exotic travelogue and a document revealing the religious tensions of the period, was enthusiastically received by early Victorian readers.