How long did Alfred, Lord Tennyson spend writing In Memoriam?

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Lithograph portrait of Alfred, Lord Tennyson with wavy hair, a full beard, and a serious expression, shown in three-quarter view wearing a dark coat. — Alfred, Lord Tennyson Portrait of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, lithograph published in *The Modern Portrait Gallery*, 1890.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote his famous elegiac work, In Memoriam, over a period of 17 years, between 1833 and 1850.12

While the poem itself depicts the development of the poet's acceptance and understanding of his friend Arthur Henry Hallam's death over a span of three years, the actual composition process for the collection of 131 sections occurred throughout the longer 17-year interval leading up to its publication in 1850.12