author
active 19th century Novice
Known only by the name “Novice,” this 19th-century writer survives in the historical record through a single comic work, The Anglican Friar, and the Fish which he Took by Hook and by Crook. The mystery around the author gives the piece an extra layer of curiosity for modern listeners.
1 Audiobook
The Anglican Friar, and the Fish which he Took by Hook and by Crook A Comic Legend
by active 19th century Novice
About the author
Very little appears to be known about this author beyond the attribution “Novice” and the cataloging label “active 19th century.” Project Gutenberg lists the name this way and currently connects it with The Anglican Friar, and the Fish which he Took by Hook and by Crook.
That surviving work is presented as a comic legend, suggesting a playful, satirical style built around religious life, fishing, and mischief. Because reliable biographical details are scarce, the author remains a somewhat shadowy figure—one of those literary names preserved mainly through the endurance of a single text.
For listeners, that anonymity can be part of the appeal: the work comes to us almost entirely on its own terms, without a well-documented life story to explain it away.