E. C. (Edmund Clerihew) Bentley

An English novelist, journalist, and humorist, Edmund Clerihew Bentley was born in London in 1875 and became famous under the names E. C. Bentley and E. Clerihew Bentley. He is remembered both for creating the clerihew, a short comic poem on a biographical subject, and for writing Trent’s Last Case (1913), one of the most influential detective novels of its era.

Bentley studied at St Paul's School and Merton College, Oxford, where he formed friendships with figures including G. K. Chesterton. Alongside his literary work, he had a long career in journalism, and that background helped shape the crisp, observant style that readers admire in his fiction.

What makes Bentley stand out is the range of his writing: light verse, essays, journalism, and detective fiction that gently questioned the conventions of the genre. Trent’s Last Case in particular is often praised for its wit, its more human detective, and its importance in the development of modern crime writing.