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Somerville & Ross was the writing partnership of Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville, the eldest of eight, was born on 2nd May 1858 on Corfu, then a British protectorate where her father was stationed. After he retired back to County Cork Edith was home educated before attending Alexandra College in Dublin. In 1884 she went to Paris to study art at the Académie Colarossi and Académie Delécluse, and then spent a term at the Westminster School of Art. In January 1886 she met her second cousin, Violet Florence Martin, who had been born at Ross House in Connemara, County Galway, the youngest of sixteen, on 11th June 1862. They began writing together the following year and published their first book ‘An Irish Cousin'in 1889 under the pseudonym Geilles Herring.Much has been made of their partnership arrangements. They shared a home in Drishane, County Cork and there is little doubt that they were lovers and formed a lifetime attachment. They took care to cloak their literary identities as men, though primarily this may have been only to help with getting published. Despite the explosion of periodicals and magazines society still saw women starting out, and consequently their works, as second class. Obviously it also helped to keep prying eyes away. Politically their views were divided. Violet was a suffragette and a convinced Irish unionist whilst Edith, although also a suffragette, was a Nationalist. This aside their writing partnership was rich and prolific ranging from novels to short stories as well as 116 volumes of diaries and thousands of letters. In 1898 Edith went to paint at the Etaples art colony, accompanied by Violet and whilst there they conceived the stories later used in ‘Some Experiences of an Irish R M,'this series was perhaps the most popular and admired of their works. That same year Violet was seriously injured in a riding accident and never regained her full health. Indeed, it was a contributing factor to her death on 21st December 1915 in Drishane at the age of 53.Edith was heartbroken but continued to write as ‘Somerville and Ross', saying they were in contact through spiritualist séances, a popular interest in the late Victorian era and early 20th Century. She was in London recovering from Violet's death when the Easter Rising broke out. Edith wrote to The Times, blaming the British government. Now her position leaned towards Nationalism.Exhibitions of her pictures were held in Dublin and London throughout the 20s and 30s and she also illustrated several sporting and children's picture books.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville died at Castletownshend in October 1949, aged 91, and is buried alongside Violet at Saint Barrahane's Church, Castletownsend, County Cork, Ireland.

Somerville & Ross was the writing partnership of Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville, the eldest of eight, was born on 2nd May 1858 on Corfu, then a British protectorate where her father was stationed. After he retired back to County Cork Edith was home educated before attending Alexandra College in Dublin. In 1884 she went to Paris to study art at the Académie Colarossi and Académie Delécluse, and then spent a term at the Westminster School of Art. In January 1886 she met her second cousin, Violet Florence Martin, who had been born at Ross House in Connemara, County Galway, the youngest of sixteen, on 11th June 1862. They began writing together the following year and published their first book ‘An Irish Cousin'in 1889 under the pseudonym Geilles Herring.Much has been made of their partnership arrangements. They shared a home in Drishane, County Cork and there is little doubt that they were lovers and formed a lifetime attachment. They took care to cloak their literary identities as men, though primarily this may have been only to help with getting published. Despite the explosion of periodicals and magazines society still saw women starting out, and consequently their works, as second class. Obviously it also helped to keep prying eyes away. Politically their views were divided. Violet was a suffragette and a convinced Irish unionist whilst Edith, although also a suffragette, was a Nationalist. This aside their writing partnership was rich and prolific ranging from novels to short stories as well as 116 volumes of diaries and thousands of letters. In 1898 Edith went to paint at the Etaples art colony, accompanied by Violet and whilst there they conceived the stories later used in ‘Some Experiences of an Irish R M,'this series was perhaps the most popular and admired of their works. That same year Violet was seriously injured in a riding accident and never regained her full health. Indeed, it was a contributing factor to her death on 21st December 1915 in Drishane at the age of 53.Edith was heartbroken but continued to write as ‘Somerville and Ross', saying they were in contact through spiritualist séances, a popular interest in the late Victorian era and early 20th Century. She was in London recovering from Violet's death when the Easter Rising broke out. Edith wrote to The Times, blaming the British government. Now her position leaned towards Nationalism.Exhibitions of her pictures were held in Dublin and London throughout the 20s and 30s and she also illustrated several sporting and children's picture books.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville died at Castletownshend in October 1949, aged 91, and is buried alongside Violet at Saint Barrahane's Church, Castletownsend, County Cork, Ireland.

Somerville & Ross was the writing partnership of Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville, the eldest of eight, was born on 2nd May 1858 on Corfu, then a British protectorate where her father was stationed. After he retired back to County Cork Edith was home educated before attending Alexandra College in Dublin. In 1884 she went to Paris to study art at the Académie Colarossi and Académie Delécluse, and then spent a term at the Westminster School of Art. In January 1886 she met her second cousin, Violet Florence Martin, who had been born at Ross House in Connemara, County Galway, the youngest of sixteen, on 11th June 1862. They began writing together the following year and published their first book ‘An Irish Cousin'in 1889 under the pseudonym Geilles Herring.Much has been made of their partnership arrangements. They shared a home in Drishane, County Cork and there is little doubt that they were lovers and formed a lifetime attachment. They took care to cloak their literary identities as men, though primarily this may have been only to help with getting published. Despite the explosion of periodicals and magazines society still saw women starting out, and consequently their works, as second class. Obviously it also helped to keep prying eyes away. Politically their views were divided. Violet was a suffragette and a convinced Irish unionist whilst Edith, although also a suffragette, was a Nationalist. This aside their writing partnership was rich and prolific ranging from novels to short stories as well as 116 volumes of diaries and thousands of letters. In 1898 Edith went to paint at the Etaples art colony, accompanied by Violet and whilst there they conceived the stories later used in ‘Some Experiences of an Irish R M,'this series was perhaps the most popular and admired of their works. That same year Violet was seriously injured in a riding accident and never regained her full health. Indeed, it was a contributing factor to her death on 21st December 1915 in Drishane at the age of 53.Edith was heartbroken but continued to write as ‘Somerville and Ross', saying they were in contact through spiritualist séances, a popular interest in the late Victorian era and early 20th Century. She was in London recovering from Violet's death when the Easter Rising broke out. Edith wrote to The Times, blaming the British government. Now her position leaned towards Nationalism.Exhibitions of her pictures were held in Dublin and London throughout the 20s and 30s and she also illustrated several sporting and children's picture books.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville died at Castletownshend in October 1949, aged 91, and is buried alongside Violet at Saint Barrahane's Church, Castletownsend, County Cork, Ireland.

Somerville & Ross was the writing partnership of Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville, the eldest of eight, was born on 2nd May 1858 on Corfu, then a British protectorate where her father was stationed. After he retired back to County Cork Edith was home educated before attending Alexandra College in Dublin. In 1884 she went to Paris to study art at the Académie Colarossi and Académie Delécluse, and then spent a term at the Westminster School of Art. In January 1886 she met her second cousin, Violet Florence Martin, who had been born at Ross House in Connemara, County Galway, the youngest of sixteen, on 11th June 1862. They began writing together the following year and published their first book ‘An Irish Cousin'in 1889 under the pseudonym Geilles Herring.Much has been made of their partnership arrangements. They shared a home in Drishane, County Cork and there is little doubt that they were lovers and formed a lifetime attachment. They took care to cloak their literary identities as men, though primarily this may have been only to help with getting published. Despite the explosion of periodicals and magazines society still saw women starting out, and consequently their works, as second class. Obviously it also helped to keep prying eyes away. Politically their views were divided. Violet was a suffragette and a convinced Irish unionist whilst Edith, although also a suffragette, was a Nationalist. This aside their writing partnership was rich and prolific ranging from novels to short stories as well as 116 volumes of diaries and thousands of letters. In 1898 Edith went to paint at the Etaples art colony, accompanied by Violet and whilst there they conceived the stories later used in ‘Some Experiences of an Irish R M,'this series was perhaps the most popular and admired of their works. That same year Violet was seriously injured in a riding accident and never regained her full health. Indeed, it was a contributing factor to her death on 21st December 1915 in Drishane at the age of 53.Edith was heartbroken but continued to write as ‘Somerville and Ross', saying they were in contact through spiritualist séances, a popular interest in the late Victorian era and early 20th Century. She was in London recovering from Violet's death when the Easter Rising broke out. Edith wrote to The Times, blaming the British government. Now her position leaned towards Nationalism.Exhibitions of her pictures were held in Dublin and London throughout the 20s and 30s and she also illustrated several sporting and children's picture books.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville died at Castletownshend in October 1949, aged 91, and is buried alongside Violet at Saint Barrahane's Church, Castletownsend, County Cork, Ireland.

Somerville & Ross was the writing partnership of Edith Somerville and Violet Florence Martin.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville, the eldest of eight, was born on 2nd May 1858 on Corfu, then a British protectorate where her father was stationed. After he retired back to County Cork Edith was home educated before attending Alexandra College in Dublin. In 1884 she went to Paris to study art at the Académie Colarossi and Académie Delécluse, and then spent a term at the Westminster School of Art. In January 1886 she met her second cousin, Violet Florence Martin, who had been born at Ross House in Connemara, County Galway, the youngest of sixteen, on 11th June 1862. They began writing together the following year and published their first book ‘An Irish Cousin'in 1889 under the pseudonym Geilles Herring.Much has been made of their partnership arrangements. They shared a home in Drishane, County Cork and there is little doubt that they were lovers and formed a lifetime attachment. They took care to cloak their literary identities as men, though primarily this may have been only to help with getting published. Despite the explosion of periodicals and magazines society still saw women starting out, and consequently their works, as second class. Obviously it also helped to keep prying eyes away. Politically their views were divided. Violet was a suffragette and a convinced Irish unionist whilst Edith, although also a suffragette, was a Nationalist. This aside their writing partnership was rich and prolific ranging from novels to short stories as well as 116 volumes of diaries and thousands of letters. In 1898 Edith went to paint at the Etaples art colony, accompanied by Violet and whilst there they conceived the stories later used in ‘Some Experiences of an Irish R M,'this series was perhaps the most popular and admired of their works. That same year Violet was seriously injured in a riding accident and never regained her full health. Indeed, it was a contributing factor to her death on 21st December 1915 in Drishane at the age of 53.Edith was heartbroken but continued to write as ‘Somerville and Ross', saying they were in contact through spiritualist séances, a popular interest in the late Victorian era and early 20th Century. She was in London recovering from Violet's death when the Easter Rising broke out. Edith wrote to The Times, blaming the British government. Now her position leaned towards Nationalism.Exhibitions of her pictures were held in Dublin and London throughout the 20s and 30s and she also illustrated several sporting and children's picture books.Edith Anna Œnone Somerville died at Castletownshend in October 1949, aged 91, and is buried alongside Violet at Saint Barrahane's Church, Castletownsend, County Cork, Ireland.

Barry Eric Odell Pain was born at 3 Sydney Street in Cambridge on 28th September 1864. He was one of 4 children.He was educated at Sedbergh School and then Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1889, Cornhill Magazine published his short story ‘The Hundred Gates'. This opened the way for Pain to advance his literary career on several fronts. He became a contributor to Punch and The Speaker, as well as joining the staff of both the Daily Chronicle and Black and White. Pain was also a noted and prominent contributor to The Granta and from 1896 to 1928 a regular contributor to the Windsor Magazine.It is often said that Pain was discovered by Robert Louis Stevenson, who compared his work to that of Guy de Maupassant. It's an apt comparison. Pain was a master of disturbing prose but was also able to inject parody and light comedy into many of his works. A simple premise could in his hands suddenly expand into a world very real but somehow emotionally fraught and on the very edge of darkness.Barry Pain died on 5th May 1928 in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Barry Eric Odell Pain was born at 3 Sydney Street in Cambridge on 28th September 1864. He was one of 4 children.He was educated at Sedbergh School and then Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1889, Cornhill Magazine published his short story ‘The Hundred Gates'. This opened the way for Pain to advance his literary career on several fronts. He became a contributor to Punch and The Speaker, as well as joining the staff of both the Daily Chronicle and Black and White. Pain was also a noted and prominent contributor to The Granta and from 1896 to 1928 a regular contributor to the Windsor Magazine.It is often said that Pain was discovered by Robert Louis Stevenson, who compared his work to that of Guy de Maupassant. It's an apt comparison. Pain was a master of disturbing prose but was also able to inject parody and light comedy into many of his works. A simple premise could in his hands suddenly expand into a world very real but somehow emotionally fraught and on the very edge of darkness.Barry Pain died on 5th May 1928 in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Barry Eric Odell Pain was born at 3 Sydney Street in Cambridge on 28th September 1864. He was one of 4 children.He was educated at Sedbergh School and then Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1889, Cornhill Magazine published his short story ‘The Hundred Gates'. This opened the way for Pain to advance his literary career on several fronts. He became a contributor to Punch and The Speaker, as well as joining the staff of both the Daily Chronicle and Black and White. Pain was also a noted and prominent contributor to The Granta and from 1896 to 1928 a regular contributor to the Windsor Magazine.It is often said that Pain was discovered by Robert Louis Stevenson, who compared his work to that of Guy de Maupassant. It's an apt comparison. Pain was a master of disturbing prose but was also able to inject parody and light comedy into many of his works. A simple premise could in his hands suddenly expand into a world very real but somehow emotionally fraught and on the very edge of darkness.Barry Pain died on 5th May 1928 in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Barry Eric Odell Pain was born at 3 Sydney Street in Cambridge on 28th September 1864. He was one of 4 children.He was educated at Sedbergh School and then Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1889, Cornhill Magazine published his short story ‘The Hundred Gates'. This opened the way for Pain to advance his literary career on several fronts. He became a contributor to Punch and The Speaker, as well as joining the staff of both the Daily Chronicle and Black and White. Pain was also a noted and prominent contributor to The Granta and from 1896 to 1928 a regular contributor to the Windsor Magazine.It is often said that Pain was discovered by Robert Louis Stevenson, who compared his work to that of Guy de Maupassant. It's an apt comparison. Pain was a master of disturbing prose but was also able to inject parody and light comedy into many of his works. A simple premise could in his hands suddenly expand into a world very real but somehow emotionally fraught and on the very edge of darkness.Barry Pain died on 5th May 1928 in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Mary Gray Phelps was born on 31st August 1844 in Boston, Massachusetts.Her mother, who wrote the Kitty Brown children's book series, died when she was only 8. The young girl asked to be renamed in honor of her mother.Two years later her father married her mother's sister, Mary Stuart, also a writer, but she died of tuberculosis only 18 months later. A mere six months later he married for a third time to Mary Ann Johnson, and they had two sons.Phelps received an upper-class education through her attendance at the Abbot Academy and Mrs. Edwards'School for Young Ladies. She had a natural gift for story-telling and at 13 she had a story published in Youth's Companion and other stories in various Sunday School publications.In most of her writings she used her mother's name ‘Elizabeth Stuart Phelps'as a pseudonym, even after her marriage in 1888 to Herbert Dickinson Ward, a journalist (and later co-author with her) 17 years her junior. Such was her talent that she gained a wide audience from her first publications. At age 19 she sent her Civil War story ‘A Sacrifice Consumed'to Harper's Magazine. A generous payment was made together with a request for more works to be sent for publication. During the 1860s she wrote her first books for children, the ‘Tiny'series and followed up with the 4-volume ‘Gypsy Breynton'series. In 1868, three years after the Civil War, came ‘The Gates Ajar', a controversial but best-selling Spiritualist work which told of an afterlife replete with home comforts and reunited families, and their pets, for eternity. Its success led her to write two more books to complete the trilogy and she was wont to use the word ‘Gates'in later book titles to allude to this success. She stated that she wrote ‘The Gates Ajar'to comfort a generation of women devastated by the loss of their loved ones who found no comfort in traditional religion. Phelps became a determined advocate through her lectures and other work for social reform, temperance, women's emancipation, and even clothing reform for women, and in 1874, urging them to burn their corsets.Her deteriorating health was now restricting some of her activities and kept her contributions to mostly literary in nature rather than public appearances.In 1876 Phelps was the first woman to present a lecture series at Boston University. Her presentations, ‘Representative Modern Fiction', analyzed the works of George Eliot.In 1877 she published ‘The Story of Avis'. The work focuses on many of the era's early feminist issues, portraying a woman's struggle to balance her married life and domestic responsibilities with her longing to become a painter. At no time did she attempt to hide, either in real life or her stories, her contempt of the inequities of the then class structure and gender disparities. Her work, ‘Mary Elizabeth'depicts a homeless girl's choices between theft and begging as a means of survival. ‘One Way to Get An Education'tells of a child laborer's desire for a better life than mill work offers and sees self-injuring as a way to a better education. Her work often depicted women succeeding in non-traditional careers such as physicians, ministers, and artists.In 1884 came her well-regarded poetry collection ‘Songs of the Silent World'Along with her husband she wrote two Biblical romances in 1890 and 1891. Her autobiography, ‘Chapters from a Life'was serialized and then published in book form in 1896. Phelps continued to write short stories and novels up to her death and over her life authored 57 volumes of fiction, poetry and essays. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps died 28th January 1911, in Newton Center, Massachusetts. She was 66.

Aleksandr Kuprin was born in Narovchat, Penza in Russia on 7th September 1870.At 3 his Father died and 3 years later he and mother moved into the Widows'Home in Kudrino, Moscow. His initial education at the Razumovsky boarding school was to cause him many childhood grievances, but he was popular amongst his peers and already a fine storyteller.In 1880 Kuprin enrolled at the Second Moscow Military High School and his interest in literature began in earnest along with the writing of several poems and some translations of foreign verse. In autumn, 1888 he entered the Alexander Military Academy in Moscow and graduated two years later as a sub-lieutenant and was posted to the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment for the next four years.In 1889 he published his debut short story ‘The Last Debut', based on the real life incident of the suicide by poisoning on stage of the singer Yevlalya Kadmina in 1881. Three years later came ‘Psyche'.He continued writing and in 1894 resigned from the Army with the publication of ‘The Enquiry'. The appearance of this story written and signed by an officer made further time in the military difficult.On a five-year-long trip through the South-West of the country he took up many jobs; dental care, land surveying, acting, circus performer, psalm singer, doctor, hunter, fisherman, all of these varied experiences were later used in his fiction.In summer 1894 Kuprin arrived in Kiev and began work for local newspapers Kievskoe Slovo, Zhizn i Iskusstvo, and later Kievlianin. He kept up his other contributions for newspapers further afield.Eight of his sketches were printed in book form in March 1896. His second collection ‘Miniatures', the following year, earned high praise from a certain Leo Tolstoy. In 1896 Moloch, Kuprin's first major work was published, a critique of the rapidly expanding Russian capitalism and a reflection of the growing social unrest in the country.By 1901 his reputation had earned him an invitation to St Petersburg to work on a popular monthly magazine. Here he met and befriended Anton Chekhov and Ivan Bunin and joined a literary society of the emerging young realist writers including Gorky, Bunin, and Leonid Andreyev. Marriage came in February 1902 to the daughter of the editor of Mir Bozhy raising gossip of nepotism. His long hours and responsibilities working for the monthly left him little time for his own writing.In 1904 Kuprin started working on ‘The Duel'. This novel, first conceived during his army years, and commenting on the'horror and tedium of army life,'was published in May 1905. For him it was cathartic for literature, a sensation. After the 1905 Revolution Kuprin became openly critical of the regime and put under secret police surveillance. Another brush with the law brought him a fine and ten days'house arrest.From 1905 he put himself forward as an elector to the first State Duma for the city of Petersburg. He also made several quite daring adventures; an air balloon flight with the renowned sportsman Sergey Utochkin, then to the Black Sea depths as a diver and accompanied the airman Ivan Zaikin on several airplane trips. In 1907 he divorced his wife and married Yelizaveta Geinrikh, who, in 1908, gave birth to their daughter Ksenia.In October 1909 Kuprin was awarded the prestigious Pushkin Prize, jointly with Bunin.In 1908 Kuprin started working on ‘The Pit', his most ambitious and controversial novel. This study of prostitution appeared in parts in 1909, 1914, and the third in 1915. Part I provoked controversy but Parts II and III only indifference and the beginning of a creative decline. As World War I broke out, Kuprin opened a military hospital in his Gatchina home, then visited towns on the Western front. As a reserve officer, he was called up in November 1

Aleksandr Kuprin was born in Narovchat, Penza in Russia on 7th September 1870.At 3 his Father died and 3 years later he and mother moved into the Widows'Home in Kudrino, Moscow. His initial education at the Razumovsky boarding school was to cause him many childhood grievances, but he was popular amongst his peers and already a fine storyteller.In 1880 Kuprin enrolled at the Second Moscow Military High School and his interest in literature began in earnest along with the writing of several poems and some translations of foreign verse. In autumn, 1888 he entered the Alexander Military Academy in Moscow and graduated two years later as a sub-lieutenant and was posted to the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment for the next four years.In 1889 he published his debut short story ‘The Last Debut', based on the real life incident of the suicide by poisoning on stage of the singer Yevlalya Kadmina in 1881. Three years later came ‘Psyche'.He continued writing and in 1894 resigned from the Army with the publication of ‘The Enquiry'. The appearance of this story written and signed by an officer made further time in the military difficult.On a five-year-long trip through the South-West of the country he took up many jobs; dental care, land surveying, acting, circus performer, psalm singer, doctor, hunter, fisherman, all of these varied experiences were later used in his fiction.In summer 1894 Kuprin arrived in Kiev and began work for local newspapers Kievskoe Slovo, Zhizn i Iskusstvo, and later Kievlianin. He kept up his other contributions for newspapers further afield.Eight of his sketches were printed in book form in March 1896. His second collection ‘Miniatures', the following year, earned high praise from a certain Leo Tolstoy. In 1896 Moloch, Kuprin's first major work was published, a critique of the rapidly expanding Russian capitalism and a reflection of the growing social unrest in the country.By 1901 his reputation had earned him an invitation to St Petersburg to work on a popular monthly magazine. Here he met and befriended Anton Chekhov and Ivan Bunin and joined a literary society of the emerging young realist writers including Gorky, Bunin, and Leonid Andreyev. Marriage came in February 1902 to the daughter of the editor of Mir Bozhy raising gossip of nepotism. His long hours and responsibilities working for the monthly left him little time for his own writing.In 1904 Kuprin started working on ‘The Duel'. This novel, first conceived during his army years, and commenting on the'horror and tedium of army life,'was published in May 1905. For him it was cathartic for literature, a sensation. After the 1905 Revolution Kuprin became openly critical of the regime and put under secret police surveillance. Another brush with the law brought him a fine and ten days'house arrest.From 1905 he put himself forward as an elector to the first State Duma for the city of Petersburg. He also made several quite daring adventures; an air balloon flight with the renowned sportsman Sergey Utochkin, then to the Black Sea depths as a diver and accompanied the airman Ivan Zaikin on several airplane trips. In 1907 he divorced his wife and married Yelizaveta Geinrikh, who, in 1908, gave birth to their daughter Ksenia.In October 1909 Kuprin was awarded the prestigious Pushkin Prize, jointly with Bunin.In 1908 Kuprin started working on ‘The Pit', his most ambitious and controversial novel. This study of prostitution appeared in parts in 1909, 1914, and the third in 1915. Part I provoked controversy but Parts II and III only indifference and the beginning of a creative decline. As World War I broke out, Kuprin opened a military hospital in his Gatchina home, then visited towns on the Western front. As a reserve officer, he was called up in November 1

Barry Eric Odell Pain was born at 3 Sydney Street in Cambridge on 28th September 1864. He was one of 4 children.He was educated at Sedbergh School and then Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1889, Cornhill Magazine published his short story ‘The Hundred Gates'. This opened the way for Pain to advance his literary career on several fronts. He became a contributor to Punch and The Speaker, as well as joining the staff of both the Daily Chronicle and Black and White. Pain was also a noted and prominent contributor to The Granta and from 1896 to 1928 a regular contributor to the Windsor Magazine.It is often said that Pain was discovered by Robert Louis Stevenson, who compared his work to that of Guy de Maupassant. It's an apt comparison. Pain was a master of disturbing prose but was also able to inject parody and light comedy into many of his works. A simple premise could in his hands suddenly expand into a world very real but somehow emotionally fraught and on the very edge of darkness.Barry Pain died on 5th May 1928 in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Barry Eric Odell Pain was born at 3 Sydney Street in Cambridge on 28th September 1864. He was one of 4 children.He was educated at Sedbergh School and then Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1889, Cornhill Magazine published his short story ‘The Hundred Gates'. This opened the way for Pain to advance his literary career on several fronts. He became a contributor to Punch and The Speaker, as well as joining the staff of both the Daily Chronicle and Black and White. Pain was also a noted and prominent contributor to The Granta and from 1896 to 1928 a regular contributor to the Windsor Magazine.It is often said that Pain was discovered by Robert Louis Stevenson, who compared his work to that of Guy de Maupassant. It's an apt comparison. Pain was a master of disturbing prose but was also able to inject parody and light comedy into many of his works. A simple premise could in his hands suddenly expand into a world very real but somehow emotionally fraught and on the very edge of darkness.Barry Pain died on 5th May 1928 in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Barry Eric Odell Pain was born at 3 Sydney Street in Cambridge on 28th September 1864. He was one of 4 children.He was educated at Sedbergh School and then Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1889, Cornhill Magazine published his short story ‘The Hundred Gates'. This opened the way for Pain to advance his literary career on several fronts. He became a contributor to Punch and The Speaker, as well as joining the staff of both the Daily Chronicle and Black and White. Pain was also a noted and prominent contributor to The Granta and from 1896 to 1928 a regular contributor to the Windsor Magazine.It is often said that Pain was discovered by Robert Louis Stevenson, who compared his work to that of Guy de Maupassant. It's an apt comparison. Pain was a master of disturbing prose but was also able to inject parody and light comedy into many of his works. A simple premise could in his hands suddenly expand into a world very real but somehow emotionally fraught and on the very edge of darkness.Barry Pain died on 5th May 1928 in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Aleksandr Kuprin was born in Narovchat, Penza in Russia on 7th September 1870.At 3 his Father died and 3 years later he and mother moved into the Widows'Home in Kudrino, Moscow. His initial education at the Razumovsky boarding school was to cause him many childhood grievances, but he was popular amongst his peers and already a fine storyteller.In 1880 Kuprin enrolled at the Second Moscow Military High School and his interest in literature began in earnest along with the writing of several poems and some translations of foreign verse. In autumn, 1888 he entered the Alexander Military Academy in Moscow and graduated two years later as a sub-lieutenant and was posted to the 46th Dnieper Infantry Regiment for the next four years.In 1889 he published his debut short story ‘The Last Debut', based on the real life incident of the suicide by poisoning on stage of the singer Yevlalya Kadmina in 1881. Three years later came ‘Psyche'.He continued writing and in 1894 resigned from the Army with the publication of ‘The Enquiry'. The appearance of this story written and signed by an officer made further time in the military difficult.On a five-year-long trip through the South-West of the country he took up many jobs; dental care, land surveying, acting, circus performer, psalm singer, doctor, hunter, fisherman, all of these varied experiences were later used in his fiction.In summer 1894 Kuprin arrived in Kiev and began work for local newspapers Kievskoe Slovo, Zhizn i Iskusstvo, and later Kievlianin. He kept up his other contributions for newspapers further afield.Eight of his sketches were printed in book form in March 1896. His second collection ‘Miniatures', the following year, earned high praise from a certain Leo Tolstoy. In 1896 Moloch, Kuprin's first major work was published, a critique of the rapidly expanding Russian capitalism and a reflection of the growing social unrest in the country.By 1901 his reputation had earned him an invitation to St Petersburg to work on a popular monthly magazine. Here he met and befriended Anton Chekhov and Ivan Bunin and joined a literary society of the emerging young realist writers including Gorky, Bunin, and Leonid Andreyev. Marriage came in February 1902 to the daughter of the editor of Mir Bozhy raising gossip of nepotism. His long hours and responsibilities working for the monthly left him little time for his own writing.In 1904 Kuprin started working on ‘The Duel'. This novel, first conceived during his army years, and commenting on the'horror and tedium of army life,'was published in May 1905. For him it was cathartic for literature, a sensation. After the 1905 Revolution Kuprin became openly critical of the regime and put under secret police surveillance. Another brush with the law brought him a fine and ten days'house arrest.From 1905 he put himself forward as an elector to the first State Duma for the city of Petersburg. He also made several quite daring adventures; an air balloon flight with the renowned sportsman Sergey Utochkin, then to the Black Sea depths as a diver and accompanied the airman Ivan Zaikin on several airplane trips. In 1907 he divorced his wife and married Yelizaveta Geinrikh, who, in 1908, gave birth to their daughter Ksenia.In October 1909 Kuprin was awarded the prestigious Pushkin Prize, jointly with Bunin.In 1908 Kuprin started working on ‘The Pit', his most ambitious and controversial novel. This study of prostitution appeared in parts in 1909, 1914, and the third in 1915. Part I provoked controversy but Parts II and III only indifference and the beginning of a creative decline. As World War I broke out, Kuprin opened a military hospital in his Gatchina home, then visited towns on the Western front. As a reserve officer, he was called up in November 1

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Charlotte Eliza Lawson Cowan was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland, on 30th September 1832, the youngest daughter of James Cowan, a High Sheriff for the County of Antrim, and Ellen Kilshaw from Liverpool, England.In the winter of 1855, four years after her father's death, she and her mother moved to London. Sadly, within the year, her mother also passed.In 1857, she married Joseph Hadley Riddell, a civil engineer. The marriage was happy by all accounts but produced no children.Her first novel, ‘The Moors and the Fens', was published in 1858 under the pseudonym of F. G. Trafford, which she used until publishing under the moniker ‘Mrs Riddell'from 1864.Charlotte was a prolific, respected and popular author. In her literary career she published over 50 novels and short stories. The most notable is perhaps ‘George Geith of Fen Court'(1864), for which she was paid £800. It was later dramatised in 1883 by Wybert Reeve.From 1867, Charlotte ventured into new territory, becoming the co-proprietor and editor of the well-regarded St. James's Magazine, which had begun publishing 1861. She also edited the magazine ‘Home in the Sixties', and wrote short stories and tales for the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge and Routledge's Christmas annuals. Charlotte was a prominent writer of ghost stories; ‘Fairy Water', ‘The Uninhabited House', ‘The Haunted River', ‘The Disappearance of Mr Jeremiah Redworth'and ‘The Nun's Curse', all deal with buildings occupied by supernatural phenomena. Charlotte also wrote several short ghost stories, such as ‘The Open Door'and ‘Nut Bush Farm', which are regularly anthologised.In 1880 Joseph died. She now withdrew from society and became a recluse. From 1886 this was in Upper Halliford, Middlesex. In 1901 Charlotte became the recipient of the first pension, £60 a year, from the Society of Authors.Charlotte Riddell died from cancer in Ashford, Kent, on 24th September 1906.

Amy Levy was born in London, England in 1861, the second of seven in a fairly wealthy Anglo-Jewish family. The children read and participated in secular literary activities and became firmly integrated into Victorian life.Her education was at Brighton High School, Brighton, before studies at Newnham College, Cambridge; she was the first Jewish student when she arrived in 1879, but left after four terms.Amy's writing career began early; her poem ‘Ida Grey'appeared when she was only fourteen. Her acclaimed short stories ‘Cohen of Trinity'and ‘Wise in Their Generation,'were published by Oscar Wilde in his magazine ‘Women's World'.Her poetic writings reveal feminist concerns; ‘Xantippe and Other Verses', from 1881 includes a poem in the voice of Socrates's wife. ‘A Minor Poet and Other Verse'from 1884 comprises of dramatic monologues and lyric poems.In 1886, Amy began a series of essays on Jewish culture and literature for the Jewish Chronicle, including ‘The Ghetto at Florence', ‘The Jew in Fiction', ‘Jewish Humour'and ‘Jewish Children'.That same year while travelling in Florence she met the writer Vernon Lee. It is generally assumed they fell in love and this inspired the poem ‘To Vernon Lee'.Her first novel ‘Romance of a Shop', written in 1888 is based on four sisters who experience the pleasures and hardships of running a London business during the 1880s. This was followed by Reuben Sachs (also 1888) and concerned with Jewish identity and mores in the England of her time and was somewhat controversial. Her final book of poems, ‘A London Plane-Tree'from 1889, shows the beginnings of the influence of French symbolism.Despite many friendships and an active life, Amy suffered for many years with serious depressions and this, together with her growing deafness, led her to commit suicide by inhaling carbon monoxide on September 10th, 1889. She was 27.

Charlotte Eliza Lawson Cowan was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland, on 30th September 1832, the youngest daughter of James Cowan, a High Sheriff for the County of Antrim, and Ellen Kilshaw from Liverpool, England.In the winter of 1855, four years after her father's death, she and her mother moved to London. Sadly, within the year, her mother also passed.In 1857, she married Joseph Hadley Riddell, a civil engineer. The marriage was happy by all accounts but produced no children.Her first novel, ‘The Moors and the Fens', was published in 1858 under the pseudonym of F. G. Trafford, which she used until publishing under the moniker ‘Mrs Riddell'from 1864.Charlotte was a prolific, respected and popular author. In her literary career she published over 50 novels and short stories. The most notable is perhaps ‘George Geith of Fen Court'(1864), for which she was paid £800. It was later dramatised in 1883 by Wybert Reeve.From 1867, Charlotte ventured into new territory, becoming the co-proprietor and editor of the well-regarded St. James's Magazine, which had begun publishing 1861. She also edited the magazine ‘Home in the Sixties', and wrote short stories and tales for the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge and Routledge's Christmas annuals. Charlotte was a prominent writer of ghost stories; ‘Fairy Water', ‘The Uninhabited House', ‘The Haunted River', ‘The Disappearance of Mr Jeremiah Redworth'and ‘The Nun's Curse', all deal with buildings occupied by supernatural phenomena. Charlotte also wrote several short ghost stories, such as ‘The Open Door'and ‘Nut Bush Farm', which are regularly anthologised.In 1880 Joseph died. She now withdrew from society and became a recluse. From 1886 this was in Upper Halliford, Middlesex. In 1901 Charlotte became the recipient of the first pension, £60 a year, from the Society of Authors.Charlotte Riddell died from cancer in Ashford, Kent, on 24th September 1906.

William Pett Ridge was born at Chartham, near Canterbury, Kent on 22nd April 1859.His family's resources were certainly limited. His father was a railway porter, and his son, after schooling in Marden, Kent became a clerk in a railway clearing house

William Pett Ridge was born at Chartham, near Canterbury, Kent on 22nd April 1859.His family's resources were certainly limited. His father was a railway porter, and his son, after schooling in Marden, Kent became a clerk in a railway clearing house

William Pett Ridge was born at Chartham, near Canterbury, Kent on 22nd April 1859.His family's resources were certainly limited. His father was a railway porter, and his son, after schooling in Marden, Kent became a clerk in a railway clearing house. The hours were long and arduous, but self improvement was his goal. After working from nine until seven o'clock he attended evening classes at Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institute and then he would write.From 1891 his humourous sketches were published in the St James's Gazette, the Idler, Windsor Magazine and other literary periodicals of the day. He was heavily influenced by Dickens and critics thought he might be his successor.Pett Ridge published his first novel in 1895, A Clever Wife. By his fifth novel, Mord Em'ly, three years later, his success was obvious. His writing was written from the perspective of those born with no privilege and relied on talent to find humour and sympathy in his portrayal of working class life.Today Pett Ridge and other East End novelists including Arthur Nevinson, Arthur Morrison & Edwin Pugh are grouped together as the Cockney Novelists.With his success Pett Ridge gave generously of both time and money to charity. In 1907 he founded the Babies Home at Hoxton, one of several children's organisationsHis circle considered Pett Ridge to be one of life's natural bachelors. In 1909 they were rather surprised therefore when he married Olga Hentschel.As the 1920's arrived Pett Ridge added to his popularity with the movies. Four of his books were adapted into films.Pett Ridge now found the peak of his fame had passed. He still managed to produce a book a year but was falling out of fashion and favour with the reading public. His canon runs to over sixty novels and short story collections as well as many pieces for magazines and periodicals.William Pett Ridge died, on 29th September 1930, at his home, Ampthill, Willow Grove, Chislehurst, at the age of 71.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse on born on 15th October, 1881 in Guildford, England to distinguished parents who were visiting the UK from Hong Kong where his father was a magistrate.After two years in Hong Kong Wodehouse and his two brothers were sent back to England to live and be schooled. Failing family finances meant that Wodehouse did not go on to University but began work straight away. He wrote in the evenings and during a two-year stint as a bank clerk managed to have over 80 pieces published. With the publication of his first book ‘The Pothunters'in 1902 he devoted himself full time to writing.His career was both prolific and commercially successful. Whether it was novels, short stories or plays everything seemed to be a hit.His wonderful characterisation of the English upper classes combined with his mastery of prose left a lasting legacy most notably in his series of the humorous, and sometimes hilarious, Jeeves and Wooster stories that are at the pinnacle of comic writing and continue to be widely read and enjoyed.Despite controversy over his broadcasts for the Germans during World War Two, which stemmed more from naivety than any possible Nazi sympathies, but which left a lingering stain against his name, he continued to write although with diminishing success.P G Wodehouse died on 14th February 1975 in the United States.