His Masters Reflection – Travels with John Polidori, Lord Byrons Doctor and Author of The Vampyre

Qualifying as a doctorat the tender age of nineteen, John Polidori was employed less than a year later by the poet, Lord Byron, as his travelling physician. In His Master's Reflection;, the authors followPolidori's footsteps as he accompanies Byron through Europe to Switzerland.Fuelled byfriends, Byron finally releases Polidori from his contract, leaving the penniless medic to wander over the Alps on foot to Italy. Unable to establishhimself as a doctor to the expatriate community, he admits defeat and returns to England.Still harbouring literary ambitions, his one chance at fame is cruelly denied when The Vampyre;, the story he wrotein Geneva, is attributed to Byron. Gossip and retelling of events have cast Polidori in the role of a petulant plagiarist. The authors showthat the handsome Polidori was more than just his master's reflection.