author
Hamilton Aïdé
1826–1906
A lively figure in Victorian literary society, this French-born writer moved easily between novels, poetry, songs, and the stage. His work was admired in its day, and several of his lyrics continued to be widely anthologized long after his lifetime.
1 Audiobook
A voyage of discovery : A novel of American society
by Hamilton Aïdé
About the author
Born in Paris on November 4, 1826, Hamilton Aïdé was the younger son of George Aïdé, of Armenian family background, and Georgina Collier, daughter of Admiral Sir George Collier. After his father died when he was very young, he was brought to England by his mother and grew up there, later becoming a familiar presence in London literary circles.
Aïdé served for a time in the British army before turning fully toward literary and artistic work. He wrote novels, plays, songs, and poetry, and was also noted as a skilled amateur artist. Among the works most often remembered are his lyrics such as Love, the Pilgrim, Lost and Found, and George Gray.
He died in London on December 13, 1906. Although he is not as widely read now as some of his contemporaries, he was regarded in his own era as a versatile and accomplished man of letters whose career ranged comfortably across several forms of Victorian culture.