Journalist, poet, novelist, dramatist.
One of the four sons of Barnabas Brough (d. 1854), a brewer and wine merchant and Frances (nee Whiteside), Robert Brough was educated at a private school in Newport. He supplemented this with his own study and eventually acquired knowledge of several languages. When his family moved to Manchester in 1843 Brough began work as a clerk. His literary career began in 1847 when he established the Liverpool Lion, a local version of Punch. Brough produced satiric articles and drawings, while his brother William also contributed material. The following year the pair wrote their first burlesque play together, The Enchanted Isle. First staged in Liverpool it later transferred to the Adelphi in London. Among many their later collaborations were The Sphinx (1849) and The Last Edition of Ivanhoe (1850).
After moving to London, Brough's income came largely from his career as a journalist. His essays and poems demonstrate much versatility, and he became especially noted for parody. The journals he contributed to included The Man in the Moon, Diogenes, Comic Times, The Train, and Household Words, and he was for a time Brussels correspondent of the Sunday Times.
Several of Brough's theatrical works, including his collaborations with William, were performed in Australia. They were also adapted and/or localised for Australia audiences.
