author
J. W. McConaughy
Best remembered for adapting the hit drama Madame X into novel form, this late-19th-century writer also moved easily between fiction, journalism, and sports writing. His work ranged from emotional melodrama to newspaper and magazine pieces for major American publications.
1 Audiobook
Madame X: a story of mother-love
by J. W. McConaughy, Alexandre Bisson
About the author
J. W. McConaughy was an author and journalist active in the late nineteenth century. Sources consistently credit him with writing the novels Madame X, The Boss, and The Typhoon, along with the nonfiction boxing title Big Jim Jeffries: His Twelve Greatest Battles.
He also worked as a periodical and newspaper writer, with published pieces associated with outlets such as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Munsey’s Magazine, and The Evening Mail. That mix of fiction, feature writing, and reportage suggests a versatile career shaped by the fast-moving print culture of his time.
Today, he is most likely to be recognized for Madame X, his novel adaptation of Alexandre Bisson’s famous stage work. Reliable biographical details beyond his publications are scarce, which makes the surviving record of his writing all the more important.