George Eliot (born Mary Ann Evans, 1819-1880) was one of the most important writers of the Victorian period, as well as an important translator and essayist. Although such novels of provincial life as The Mill on the Floss and Middlemarch have seen her characterised as a thoroughly English writer, her reception and immersion in the literary, intellectual and political life of Europe was remarkable. Written by a team of leading international scholars, The Reception of George Eliot in Europe is the first comprehensive and systematic survey of Eliot's place in European culture. Exploring Eliot's deep knowledge of German literature and thought, her galvanizing influence on women novelists and translators in countries as diverse as Sweden and Spain, and her friendship with leading figures such as Mazzini, Turgenev, and Liszt, this study reveals her full stature as a cosmopolitan writer and thinker.

Including an historical timeline and a comprehensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources and translations, The Reception of George Eliot in Europe is an essential reference resource for anyone working in the field of Victorian Literature.