author
Edward Knoblauch
1874–1945
Best known for the hit play Kismet, this American-born writer built a long stage career in London and became a British citizen during the First World War. He wrote and adapted popular dramas that moved easily between the theater and early film.
1 Audiobook
Kismet : An "Arabian night" in three acts
by Edward Knoblauch
About the author
Born in New York City in 1874 as Edward Gustavus Knoblauch, he later became known as Edward Knoblock. He studied at Harvard, spent much of his adult life in Europe, and settled into the London theater world, where he developed a reputation as a productive playwright and novelist.
His biggest successes included Kismet (1911) and Milestones (1912), the latter written with Arnold Bennett. He was known for turning out plays at a steady pace and for writing stories that appealed to wide audiences, which helped some of his work cross over into film.
During the First World War he became a naturalized British citizen and adopted the surname spelling "Knoblock." He died in London in 1945, remembered mainly for his stage work and for a career that linked American beginnings with British theatrical life.