Who was Fanny Brawne?

Fanny Brawne was a neighbor of the poet John Keats in Hampstead, London, whom he met in the autumn of 1818. She was an unexceptional young woman characterized by a firm and generous nature, and she was kindly disposed toward the poet.1

Keats fell deeply and tragically in love with Brawne, and their relationship had a significant impact on his personal and poetic development. However, the relationship could not follow a normal course due to Keats’s failing health—he suffered from tuberculosis—and his unstable financial situation. Despite these challenges, the two became engaged in October 1819. Brawne is also noted for being a recipient of some of Keats’s most intimate and famous letters, which serve as a primary source for understanding the poet's life and intellectual growth.12