BBC Proms - 2010 - Proms Plus - Childe Harold

Tom Holland, award winning historian of Rubicon, and novelist Ben Markovits join presenter Matthew Sweet to explore Childe Harold's Pilgrimage - the poem which thrust Lord Byron into stardom and made him a Romantic hero overnight. The poem tells the story of a disillisioned young man's overseas journey and was inspired by Byron's own travels in southern Europe. But it also launched the idea of the Byronic hero, who became so influential in the romantic era. Tonight's BBC Proms concert features Hector Berlioz's musical version - Harold in Italy. Matthew Sweet guests are two writers who have re-interpreted Byron for the twenty-first century.Tom Holland has written a novel based on the myth of Byron's life and work called "The Vampyre". He describes Byron as the "David Bowie of his age" - able to reinvent himself to the world, but not just a doomed poet - also a brilliantly successful writer. Benjamin Markovits has written the first parts of a trilogy about Byron's life and loves. Their discussion is recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Literary Festival.