Anthony Trollope (1815 — 1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. "The Prime Minister" is the fifth of six novels in another famous series, "The Palliser Novels," also known as the Parliamentary Novels. It is a wonderfully subtle portrait of a marriage, political expediency, and misplaced love.