F. W. (Francis William) Bain

Born in 1863, Francis William Bain was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, and later became a fellow of All Souls. He taught in India for many years as professor of history and political economy at Deccan College in Poona, a background that shaped the literary world he became known for.

Bain wrote a sequence of richly colored prose works inspired by Indian themes, often framing them as translations or retellings from Sanskrit sources. Readers remember these books for their elaborate style, symbolic storytelling, and unusual mix of courtly romance, reflection, and mythic atmosphere.

He died in 1940. Although not widely read today, Bain remains a distinctive figure for listeners who enjoy literary fantasy, fin-de-siècle prose, and imaginative books touched by his experience of India.