Arthur Morrison

author

Arthur Morrison

1863–1945

Best known for his vivid stories of London’s East End, this late-Victorian writer paired hard-edged realism with a talent for mystery. His work ranges from the famous slum novel A Child of the Jago to popular detective fiction featuring Martin Hewitt.

9 Audiobooks

About the author

Born in London on November 1, 1863, Arthur Morrison became a journalist before making his name as a writer of fiction. Reliable reference sources describe him as an English writer and journalist closely associated with realistic portrayals of working-class life in the East End of London.

He is especially remembered for Tales of Mean Streets and A Child of the Jago, works that gave many readers a stark, unsentimental view of urban poverty in the 1890s. He also wrote detective stories, including the Martin Hewitt tales, showing a lighter but still sharply observed side of his storytelling.

Morrison’s interests went beyond fiction. He was also a collector of Japanese art and published books on the subject. He died on December 4, 1945, in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire.