William Makepeace Thackeray

The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. William Makepeace Thackeray

In the number of FRASER'S MAGAZINE for January 1844 appeared the first instalment of 'THE LUCK OF BARRY LYNDON, ESQ., A ROMANCE OF THE LAST CENTURY, by FitzBoodle, ' and the story continued to appear month by month-with the exception of October-up to the end of the year, when the concluding portion was signed 'G. S. FitzBoodle.' FITZBOODLE'S CONFESSIONS, it should be added, had appeared occasionally in the magazine during the years immediately precedent, so that the pseudonym was familiar to FRASER'S readers. The story was written, according to its author's own words, 'with a great deal of dulness, unwillingness and labour, ' and was evidently done as the instalments were required, for in August he wrote 'read for "B. L." all the morning at the club, ' and four days later of '"B. L." lying like a nightmare on my mind.' The journey to the East-which was to give us in literary results NOTES OF A JOURNEY FROM CORNHILL TO GRAND CAIRO-was begun with BARRY LYNDON yet unfinished, for at Malta the author noted on the first three days of November-'Wrote Barry but slowly and with great difficulty.' 'Wrote Barry with no more success than yesterday.' 'Finished Barry after great throes late at night.' In the number of Fraser's for the following month, as I have said, the conclusion appeared.