Harriet Hamilton King
Harriet Hamilton King was a Scottish poet and writer born on February 10, 1840, in Edinburgh to Admiral W. A. Baillie Hamilton and Lady Harriet Hamilton. Raised in London, she began writing poetry as a child and developed a keen interest in Italian politics, particularly the works and ideologies of figures like Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi. Her first significant work, "The Execution of Felice Orsini," was a lengthy poem inspired by a prison portrait of Orsini and was published in 1869 alongside her first poetry collection, *Aspromonte, and Other Poems*. Throughout her life, King maintained a correspondence with Mazzini and engaged deeply with the political and cultural issues of her time. Her later poetry, particularly in *A Book of Dreams* (1883), marked a shift in style, drawing comparisons to impressionist art, and reflected her spiritual journey following her conversion to Catholicism. Despite suffering from health issues after a serious illness in 1865, she continued to write until her death on May 7, 1920. King's body of work offers valuable insights into the political climate of mid-nineteenth-century Italy, showcasing her dual talents in history and poetry.
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Harriet Hamilton King
Poet
- Born: February 10, 1840
- Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Died: May 7, 1920
Biography
Harriet Hamilton King was born on February 10, 1840, in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Admiral W. A. Baillie Hamilton and Lady Harriet Hamilton. She was raised in London, writing poetry from an early age. When she was still a child, she began reading about Italian politics. She became obsessed with Giuseppe Mazzini, the Italian republican. At the same time, she also developed an interest in other Italian patriots, including Guiseppe Garibaldi and Ugo Bassi.
Her first poem was “The Execution of Felice Orsini,” written after viewing a picture of Orsini in prison. The resulting poem was some fifty pages long, and was not published until 1869. The poem demonstrates her ability to fully put herself into the historical moment. She claimed that her poems came into her head fully written and that she only need write them down. Her first book was Aspromonte, and Other Poems, published in 1869, comprising poems written when she was between eighteen and twenty-two years old, including “The Execution of Felice Orsini.”
In the same year, she attended a concert during which she had the thought that she should write about the Battle of Solferino. In 1862, Hamilton wrote to Mazzini and offered to come to Italy to work for him. The two carried on a lively correspondence until Hamilton’s parents forbade their daughter to write him. When she married Henry King, who was also a Mazzini supporter, she resumed her former friendship with the Italian patriot. In 1864, she met both Mazzini and Garibaldi when the two visited London. The same year, her husband published Mazzini’s works.
An unknown illness nearly took King’s life in 1865, and she was unwell for the rest of her life. In 1869, her book Aspromonte, and Other Poems appeared. She also engaged in a long discussion with Mazzini that year that resulted in her book The Disciples, published in 1873. Ironically, Mazzini did not live to read the volume; he died on the day that King sent him the completed poems.
King did not publish another book for ten years. In 1883, A Book of Dreams was published. These poems represent a significant change from her earlier work, and some critics compare them to impressionist paintings. King’s later work was largely devotional, reflecting her conversion to Catholicism. Indeed, her last prose work, The Religion of Mazzini (1913), argued that Mazzini was a Catholic at heart, although he had been estranged from the Church.
Although an invalid from the time of her 1865 illness on, King lived until May 7, 1920. Her ten books demonstrate her skill with history and poetry. Most notably, through her poetry and prose, contemporary readers can gain a glimpse of the political situation in Italy during the mid-nineteenth century.