The Venezuelan artist José Luis Troconis Barazarte publishes in Ciudad Valencia an article, a poem, a short story, and an illustration (on the right, source), all devoted to the Brontës, particularly Emily:
Cuando Charlotte descubrió por azar los cuadernos secretos donde Emily anotaba sus poemas, la furia de esta última fue salvaje. Consideraba que sus versos pertenecían a su intimidad inviolable. Sin embargo, aquel hallazgo propició la publicación conjunta del poemario de las tres hermanas en 1846, cobijadas bajo los nombres masculinos de Currer, Ellis y Acton Bell. La poesía de Emily, atribuida entonces a Ellis, reveló de inmediato una voz de pureza cortante, despojada de adornos retóricos, donde Dios, la naturaleza y la muerte se miraban sin intermediarios, con una hondura metafísica que superaba cualquier lirismo convencional de su tiempo. Al año siguiente vio la luz su única novela, Cumbres Borrascosas, concebida con esa misma madera seca y resistente. Mientras sus contemporáneos escribían relatos de costumbres y lecciones morales bienhechoras, Emily entregó en las páginas de Cumbres Borrascosas una obra que parecía esculpida por el viento del invierno. No hubo en sus letras afán de halagar el gusto del público ni temor a escandalizar la mojigatería victoriana. En su escritura no hay espacio para la queja blanda ni para la compasión postiza. Todo en ella es concisión, filo de navaja y un temblor antiguo que nombra la tierra herida con la exactitud de quien conoce el peso exacto de cada silencio. ( Translation)
The best debut albums written by female artists according to Grunge, include Kate Bush's The Kick Inside: Of all the instances of young prodigies penning music far beyond their years, there may be none more mind-boggling than Kate Bush writing "Wuthering Heights" at 18 years old. What's even more impressive, though, is that "Wuthering Heights" is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the raucous, irrepressible brilliance on display across "The Kick Inside," Bush's multifaceted 1978 breakout. (...) And, because Bush was a genius, her claim to freedom argued for itself; there was no listening to "Oh To Be in Love" or "Them Heavy People" or "James and the Cold Gun" — or, indeed, to the enrapturing perfection of "Wuthering Heights"— without inferring that this is what modern auteur-driven songcraft could and should be. (Leo Noburu Lima)
While it is Bush’s immense, witchy vocals that first entrap any listener of the towering 1978 ballad, the soaring, emotional electric guitar solo was the genius of Pilot guitarist Ian Bairnson and his cherry sunburst 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom. An avid trail-bike racer away from the studio, Bairnson took to Edinburgh’s rolling hills to perform some tricks with his Pilot bandmate and biker, David Paton. It was here that the guitarist flew off the bike and broke his wrist. That’s a pretty catastrophic injury for a guitarist… on paper. In this case, it might be the secret ingredient to a song that has now been streamed well over 300,000,000 times. “When we got back to the house, I said, ‘Tomorrow, you’ll be fine. You’ve just sprained it,’ without realising that he’d actually broken it. It began to swell up quite a bit, so we took him to the hospital and he got a cast put on. And we knew that the session was coming up…” Paton recalled. Bairnson turned up at the studio shortly thereafter to record ‘Wuthering Heights’ with his arm encased in plaster; you’d be forgiven for thinking the session would be postponed, and assuming time stood still until all parties were fit and able to play their part uninjured. But the breakneck pace woven into the song’s very fabric, written in one evening and recorded in one sweeping take, simply meant that the show must go on. (rubybrown)
Alfemminile (Italy) rediscovers the poetry of Emily Brontë: Chi cerca nei versi di Emily un diario sentimentale o qualche indizio sulle sue passioni segrete rischia di rimanere deluso: la sua poesia appartiene a un altrove fantastico, abitato da presenze che parlano di prigionia, desiderio, perdita e libertà. E quando sconfina da quell'universo, sembra inseguire qualcosa che oltrepassi i confini dell'esistenza concreta, un'estasi trascendentale degna di una mistica. La natura diventa una presenza immensa, talvolta minacciosa; l'anima aspira a un'indipendenza che il corpo non può concederle. Emily aveva conosciuto, e mal sopportato, il mondo esterno: studiò, viaggiò e lavorò per brevi periodi lontano da Haworth. Ma la sua vera patria, forse, era quella che aveva nutrito nella propria mente. Una donna che sembra essersi sentita per tutta la vita qualcosa di diverso, più spirito che essere umano, e che attraverso la scrittura poteva finalmente abitare una realtà abbastanza grande da contenerla. (Maya Artusi Moro) (Translation)
Ouest-France (France) lists some recent novels that could have been awarded some prize (but weren't): Pour son quatrième roman, Lilia Hassaine plonge dans l’œuvre culte de Charlotte Brontë et imagine la vie de Bertha Mason, que l’on croise dans les pages de « Jane Eyre ». Durant les 256 pages de « Je », l’autrice et journaliste écrit depuis le point de vue de celle à qui elle redonne le prénom d’Antoinette et retrace sa funeste relation avec Edward Rochester, de la Jamaïque jusqu’à la campagne anglaise. Dans le roman de Charlotte Brontë publié en 1847, Bertha est démente. Son mariage avec Edward Rochester est basé sur un mensonge de son père, qui a tu les antécédents familiaux. Lilia Hassaine inverse les rôles et écrit une autre histoire, dans la veine du travail de Jean Rhys, qui avait consacré un préquel au personnage. Dans « Je », Antoinette est une femme saine d’esprit, aimante, entraînée dans une vertigineuse descente aux enfers orchestrée par son époux. Glaçant et moderne. (Florence Pitard) (Translation) Ghosts, as seen by Irene Vallejo in La Tercera (Chile): En los primeros momentos del duelo, no deseamos escapar de la memoria, no queremos volver a la vida normal. La idea misma del consuelo suena a deserción, a falsedad, a despropósito. Durante las horas vacías, invitamos al espectro, le rogamos que nos obsesione y embruje nuestra casa. Así lo cuenta Emily Brontë, con torrencial romanticismo, en Cumbres borrascosas. Los protagonistas se enamoran, se traicionan y se aniquilan el uno al otro con desamparada crueldad. Parecen empeñados en destruir toda posibilidad de final feliz, pero cada vez se necesitan más. Cuando Catherine está a punto de morir, Heathcliff le suplica que lo persiga: “Hay espíritus que andan errantes por el mundo. Quédate siempre conmigo, toma cualquier forma, vuélveme loco. Pero no me dejes solo”. Emily escribió la novela mientras cuidaba a su hermano, enfermo de tuberculosis, durante largas vigilias agónicas. En su libro, las apariciones expresan un deseo que reconocemos bien: la permanencia del ser amado. Ella, la recluida hija de un pastor anglicano, pensaba que la fantasía es un distrito de lo cotidiano. Los fantasmas existen –aunque no sean reales– porque los necesitamos. No sabemos vivir sin los muertos. (Translation) Ann Jefferson, biographer of Nathalie Sarraute, discusses her figure in Le Monde (France): L’Angleterre l’a aussi marquée sur le plan littéraire. La personnalité d’Emily Brontë a compté pour elle, et plus tard l’œuvre de Virginia Woolf, découverte dans les années 1920 en même temps que celle de James Joyce, cet autre grand représentant de la modernité littéraire. (Translation) Today, on BBC Radio 3: Sounds of Silence To mark Armistice Day, Words & Music takes up the theme of silence. From the devotional searching of Bach’s Actus tragicus, via Haydn’s String Quartet called The Joke, which ends with deliberate pauses from the players, to the experimental explorations of modernists like György Ligeti, silence has meant different things to different composers. Before and after live performances, conductors try to hold a silence in the concert hall, and in recordings of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler left long gaps between the famous opening notes. In literature too, the meanings of silence range from the awkward in Jane Austen to the stultifying in Charlotte Brontë [fragments of Jane Eyre and the poem Evening Solace]. via peacefulness in Wordsworth to the meditative in mystic writings of the Sufi poet Rumi. And the meanings of silence in wartime are explored by the poet Ivor Gurney and the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. The readers are Sian Clifford, seen on TV this summer in the latest series of Ludwig, and Ray Fearon, who has just finished appearing on stage in Headlong's production of Fences.
A photographic exhibition at the Brontë Birthplace:
6 November – 18 December 2026 Exhibition in the Posh Parlour, Brontë Birthplace
We are delighted to welcome Matt Gibbons as the newest Artist in Residence at the Brontë Birthplace. Matt has worked closely with the house for many years, documenting every stage of our journey—from the renovation process and our opening months to our grand Royal opening. His dedication, care, and eye for detail have shaped our of our story. Based in Thornton, Matt Gibbons a photographer, draws his inspiration from the landscapes and wildlife of Yorkshire and further afield. Matt captures a wide variety of landscapes throughout the seasons, focusing on particular how different light impacts on the natural beauty of the landscape. Matt is often found taking long hikes on the moors and dales with his spaniel, Dexter! One of Matt’s proudest achievements as a photographer was photographing the restoration of the Bronte Birthplace between 2024 and 2025 which then culminated in being invited to be the official photographer for the Birthplace for the official opening of the house by HM Queen Camilia in May 2025. For this new exhibition, Matt turns his lens toward Thornton, Brontë Country, and the striking natural landscapes and wildlife of Yorkshire. His work captures the quiet beauty, character, and atmosphere of “God’s Own Country,” offering visitors a thoughtful visual journey through the places that shaped the Brontë family. Matt’s exhibition will be displayed in the Posh Parlour, a fitting setting for work that has been so integral to the life of the house. We are honoured to celebrate his artistry in a room that has witnessed so much of our history.
Love London Love Culture announces a stage production of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall for September 2027. The poster is a bit weird, though. The production is set to open at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford on 9th September 2027 before embarking on a UK tour. The Yvonne Arnauld Theatre and Shared Experience their co-production of a new stage adaptation of Anne Brontë’s pioneering novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which has been adapted for the stage by Katherine Moar and directed by Joanna Read. Following its run at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, the production will then head to Oxford, Bath, Blackpool, Eastbourne and Malvern with other venues to be confirmed. With tickets set to go on sale on the 6th November, casting and creative team has yet to be announced. Commenting on the announcement, Joanna Read says: “It is with great pleasure that we can announce this new production in partnership with our co-producers, Shared Experience. Katherine is a dazzling writing talent, and we were thrilled to commission her to adapt Anne Brontë’s trailblazing novel about a woman’s fight for domestic independence and creative freedom. We look forward to bringing this emotional, gripping and shockingly relevant story to life on stage, both here at the Yvonne Arnaud and in theatres up and down the country.” Who is the mysterious tenant of Wildfell Hall? High on the Yorkshire fells, isolated from society, Helen lives with her son in the ruined and desolate Wildfell Hall. Content until the intrusions of her gossiping neighbours and the affections of local farmer Gilbert force her to reveal her devastating story. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the compelling story of a woman fleeing a perilous marriage to find safety for her child and her pursuit of a self-sufficient life, eventually finding love on her own terms. Written in the mid-19th century, Anne Brontë’s radical and redemptive novel challenged contemporary notions of a woman’s place in society and is now considered to be one of the first feminist novels.
Still on stage, Great British Life recommends the Sally Cookson e production of Jane Eyre which opens on November 10th at Storyhouse in Chester. A fresh stage adaptation is bringing new energy to a literary classic. Jane Eyre will open at Storyhouse in Chester on November 10, 2026 and run until November 21, 2026, offering audiences a bold retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s iconic novel. The production is a co-production between Storyhouse, Mercury Theatre Colchester, and Rose Theatre, in association with Northern Stage, supported by a grant from the Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST). Suzie Henderson, creative director at Storyhouse, said: "Excitement is building with just two weeks to go until this thrilling new adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s much-loved masterpiece opens on the Storyhouse stage as one of the undoubted highlights of our autumn season. "Jane Eyre is a Storyhouse Originals production in partnership with the Mercury Theatre at Colchester and Rose Theatre at Kingston, and it’s been an exhilarating collaboration, creating a very special piece of live theatre which under Lily Dible’s exciting direction is both powerful and utterly compelling." Directed by Lily Dyble, winner of the 2025 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award, the production is based on the acclaimed adaptation by Sally Cookson, Mike Akers, and the original company. (Matthew Dougherty)
News and Star announces the Wordsworth Grasmere Gothic fiction book club programme. The series runs throughout the winter and into the spring, exploring Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White on November 14, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla on February 6, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea on March 13, and Mary Shelley’s The Last Man on April 24. With just 12 places per session, tickets cost £7 per person.
Maratona Sorelle Brontë is a cultural event organized by the Circolo dei Lettori in Torino (Italy), taking place today. A whole day of lectures and readings on the Brontës:
Le sorelle Brontë hanno scritto romanzi immortali, capolavori della narrativa ottocentesca pieni di pathos ed emozione. Ai romanzi si aggiungono i versi, nei quali emerge il fascino della natura selvaggia delle brughiere dello Yorkshire, tra distese d’erica, roccia e foschia. Un pomeriggio per riscoprire le loro voci, tra incanto, disperazione e il desiderio insopprimibile di affermare la propria identità.
>> h 15.3o Catherine e Heathcliff. Il cuore selvaggio dell’amore con Liliana Rampello Due protagonisti indimenticabili e un amore travolgente: in Cime tempestose Emily Brontë racconta il fantasma dell’eros e dell’eccesso, e un desiderio indicibile che la società vittoriana perbene tiene sepolto nelle sue viscere. È un’attrazione irresistibile, suggellata nell’infanzia, che diventa il destino di due famiglie per tre generazioni.
>> h 16.30 Jane Eyre. Amare senza perdersi con Carolina Capria «L’ho sposato, lettore»: con queste parole – una delle citazioni più celebri della letteratura inglese – Charlotte Brontë compie una rivoluzione. Attraverso Jane Eyre e Mr Rochester esploriamo una relazione che sfida le gerarchie del suo tempo e immagina un amore fondato sulla parità, la libertà e il riconoscimento reciproco.
>> h 17.30 Il giardino e la brughiera con Susanna Basso Dopo aver lavorato alle edizioni italiane di Jane Austen, la traduttrice si è incamminata nella brughiera in compagnia di Jane Eyre, affrontando il capolavoro di Charlotte Brontë. Il lavoro non è stato semplice e lo racconta in questo incontro condividendo pensieri e sensazioni che l’hanno accompagnata nel corso di questo lungo viaggio. Further information in La Repubblica.
Dr. Greta Colombani presents a live online lecture and seminar on The Poetry of Emily Brontë today, Saturday, November 7, 2026, as part of the Brontës Season series hosted by Literature Cambridge.
The Poetry of Emily Brontëby Dr. Greta Colombani November 7, 18:00 GMT Zoom
Greta Colombani on the strange and powerful poetry of Emily Brontë. During her short, private life, Emily Brontë agreed to share with readers outside her family only twenty-one of her poems, which appeared in the first book published by the Brontë sisters under pseudonyms and at their own expense: Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell (1846). Far from spontaneous, this act of sharing was prompted by a violation that had at first infuriated her. Charlotte had come up with the idea for the collection after discovering the notebooks where Emily had been secretly transcribing the poems she had been writing since her teenage years. While the book ended up only selling two copies one year after publication, Emily’s poetry continues to attract and captivate readers today as a possible window into the soul of one of the most elusive and mysterious figures in English literature. This lecture will offer a journey through the lyrical depth, visionary intensity, and rich variety of Emily’s published and unpublished poems, from her fierce confrontations with loss, confinement, and her own mortality, to her evocations of the sublime, solitary wildness of the moors, to the several tales of violence, passion, and betrayal set in Gondal, the mythic country that she had invented with Anne as young adolescents and that never ceased to haunt her imagination. Set text: Emily Brontë, Complete Poems, ed. Janet Gezari (Penguin, 1992). Greta will focus on particular poems from this volume; details will be sent to everyone who books.
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