Alfred Ollivant

Born in Nuthurst, West Sussex, in 1874, Alfred Ollivant became a novelist after a horse-riding accident cut short a brief military career. His first novel, Owd Bob, was published in 1898 and brought him lasting recognition.

His work is closely linked with the countryside, especially the farming life and rugged scenery of northern England. Readers have long remembered him for his vivid sense of place and for writing animals with unusual seriousness and feeling.

Ollivant died in 1927. Though he is not as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, Owd Bob has kept his name alive as a memorable voice in classic rural fiction.