A. E. (Alfred Edgar) Coppard

Born in Folkestone, Kent, in 1878, Alfred Edgar Coppard grew up in poverty and had very little formal schooling. He left school young and worked a series of jobs before making his name as a writer, a background that helped shape his feel for working people and rural life.

Coppard became best known for short stories that mixed realism with a lyrical, sometimes almost dreamlike quality. Collections such as Adam & Eve & Pinch Me and later volumes brought him wide attention, and he was especially admired for his gift for portraying the English countryside and its characters with warmth, strangeness, and wit.

He also wrote poetry and was respected by other literary figures of his time. Today he is remembered chiefly as one of the notable English short-story writers of the early 20th century, with work that still stands out for its voice, charm, and close observation of everyday lives.