About Brontë Beginnings

Brontë Beginnings is an umbrella title for a series of linked projects devised by me, Simon Zonenblick, aimed at exploring and celebrating the roots, influences and family backgrounds of the Brontës, focusing mainly on three areas: the Brontës' mother Maria Branwell and her background in Cornwall, the Brontës' Irish roots with  specific reference to Patrick Brontë's birth and youth in County Down, and the genesis of the Brontë siblings' creative output - their childhoods in Haworth and the imaginary worlds and stories they created.

The legacy of the Brontës' published works, and their lives in Haworth and beyond, are rightly prized in the literary, historical and tourist worlds, with millions visiting Yorkshire every year to tread the cobbles on which the famous sisters, and their ill-fated brother, walked. But I believe there is also a rich trove of "pre-history" to be delved into, and to mark the bithday of Patrick Bronte in 2019, I traveled to his birthplace in Northern Ireland, where I began my research into the beginnings of this wonderful literary family.  Already a regular vsitor to Haworth, home of the famous Bronte Parsonage Museum, I am planning to extend my Brontë pilgrimages to take in Maria's birth town of Penzance in the near future.

I will be delivering a series of talks on these subjects, based on my visits to and research into the areas concerned, and updating this blog with details.  I am also open to developing the project in wider ways, including media and collaborative performance, exhibitions and more. I will also be documenting some of my findings and experiences via my publishing press, Caterpillar Poetry.

If you would like to learn more about my plans, my research, or indeed my upcoming talks, if you would like to host a talk at your premises, or to participate in any way with this venture, please contact me on caterpillarpoetry@gmail.com