Perceval Gibbon

Born in Trelech, Wales, on November 4, 1879, he became a novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was educated in Germany and later traveled widely, experiences that fed directly into his fiction and nonfiction.

A large part of his career was tied to South Africa, where he worked for the Rand Daily Mail and reported during the Anglo-Boer War. He later wrote for other newspapers as well, and his stories became especially noted for their strong narrative drive and their frequent ironic turn at the end.

He died on May 30, 1926. Today he is remembered chiefly for his short fiction and for the way his journalism and wide-ranging travels gave his writing an unusually vivid, worldly texture.