The second of Anthony Trollope’s ‘Palliser’ series of novels, Phineas Finn follows the story of young Phineas, a doctor’s son from Ireland with big Parliamentary ambitions. Set against the backdrop of the British parliamentary Reform Acts of the 1860s, the novel charts Phineas’ story as he navigates the world of Parliament and politics. Along the way we witness his struggles in both work and love as he strives to always do the right thing and maintain his morals and convictions throughout.

Anthony Trollope (1815 – 1882) was a Victorian writer and author of 47 novels. He also wrote an autobiography, short stories and plays, travel articles, reviews and lectures. A prolific writer, he made no secret of the fact that money was his motivation for writing – an admission which raised eyebrows among his literary contemporaries at the time. The amount of works Trollope authored are testament to his belief in hard work. His first successful novel was The Warden followed by its sequel, Barchester Towers. The Chronicles of Barsetshire are perhaps his most well-known series of novels, though many of his works have been adapted for TV and radio, starring many familiar faces such as Alan Rickman, David Tennant, Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander. Alongside his literary career, Trollope also worked for some time for the Post Office and is credited with the introduction of the iconic post box to Britain. A memorial to Anthony Trollope was unveiled in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1993.