Hugh Walpole

Born in 1884, he became one of the most popular British novelists of his day, publishing dozens of books as well as criticism and short fiction. He studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, worked for a time as a teacher, and gradually built a wide readership through novels that ranged from psychological drama to historical fiction.

Among his best-known works are Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill, Rogue Herries, and the four-novel Herries Chronicle, which helped cement his reputation. He was also admired for supernatural stories and for his energetic involvement in literary life, writing criticism and championing other authors.

Later in life he settled at Brackenburn near Keswick in the Lake District, a setting closely tied to his imagination and public image. He died in 1941, but his work remains of interest for its warmth, readability, and its picture of English literary culture between the late Victorian world and the modern age.