Vivian Grey

At nearly ten, Vivian Grey still does not know his alphabet—and would rather have another glass of claret than go to school. But the boy whose curls and tantrums rule his mother’s household is about to discover a wider audience.

Benjamin Disraeli’s 1826 novel opens among England’s comfortable gentry, where a father retreats to his library and a mother frets over her only child’s hair, schooling, and prospects. Sent at last to Burnsley Vicarage, Vivian meets a roomful of boys ready to mock the “dandy” newcomer. Instead, his wit and English verses win them over, while the masters’ classical lessons seem less dazzling than his talents. Vivian is learning how quickly attention can be won—and how little it may have to do with merit. What will he make of the influence he has begun to gather?

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