author
G. H. (George Herbert) Mair
1887–1926
A lively early-20th-century man of letters, he moved easily between literary criticism, journalism, and public service. His books on English literature were written to open the subject up for ordinary readers, not to make it feel distant or difficult.
1 Audiobook
English Literature: Modern
by G. H. (George Herbert) Mair
About the author
Born in 1887, George Herbert Mair was a British journalist, critic, and civil servant. He studied at Aberdeen Grammar School, the University of Aberdeen, Christ Church, Oxford, and the Sorbonne, and began his career in journalism in 1909 at the Manchester Guardian, later also working for the Daily Chronicle.
Alongside journalism, he wrote clear and accessible books about English literature, including English Literature: Modern and Modern English Literature from Chaucer to the Present Day. His writing suggests a critic who wanted readers to feel their way into literature through ideas, style, and enjoyment rather than dry memorization.
During the First World War he entered government service, working in the Foreign Office and then in the Ministry of Information. He later served with the British delegation at the Versailles Conference and worked with the League of Nations before returning to journalism as drama critic for the Evening Standard. He died in 1926, still only 39 years old.