Lord Byron probably said it better...although, given his nickname for William Wordsworth, possibly not. No matter! His correspondence with clergyman Francis Hodgson fetched nearly half a million dollars at auction:
Today in London, a collection of letters from British poet Lord George Byron sold at auction for $459,110.67, exceeding the highest pre-sale estimates by more than $160,000 and selling for more than any other letters or manuscript by a British Romantic poet. Although the letters were written to a clergyman, they were -- in keeping with Lord Byron's reputation -- somewhat scandalous.What are future would-be collectors of this century's literary ephemera going to spend their money on? Bits and bytes don't age well.
In the letters -- more than 71 handwritten pages -- Byron mocks fellow Romantic poet Wordsworth, a rival, calling him "Turdsworth" and, according to the Guardian, pens "details of a squalid affair with a serving girl, fruity remarks about foreigners and literary vitriol."
Sotheby's specialist Gabriel Heaton told the Guardian, "Byron clearly enjoyed writing slightly outrageous things to a clergyman, but you do also get a very strong sense of the depth of friendship they had. There's a real intimacy."
And why would anyone want to buy Byron's letters now that you've summarized their content so effectively here?
Thanks for that. It made me smile.