Basil King

Born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in 1859, Basil King was ordained in the Anglican Church and served in Halifax and later in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Health problems, including failing eyesight, pushed him to retire from church work around 1900 and devote himself fully to writing.

That change opened the most productive part of his career. He published popular novels and reflective nonfiction, often centered on conscience, faith, inner struggle, and the hope of personal renewal. His books were known for their spiritual tone and for taking big emotional and moral questions seriously without losing sight of ordinary life.

King's best-known titles include The Inner Shrine, The Wild Olive, and The Side of the Angels. He died in 1928, but his work still offers a clear window into an era when fiction often aimed not just to entertain, but to guide, comfort, and provoke reflection.