author
Phil Robinson
1847–1902
Best known for bringing wit and close observation to Anglo-Indian writing, this journalist and naturalist turned life in India into lively essays, sketches, and stories. His books mix humor, travel, and a keen eye for the natural world.
2 Audiobooks
Birds of the wave and woodland
by Phil Robinson
About the author
Born in Chunar, India, in 1847, Phil Robinson was the pen name of Philip Stewart Robinson, an Indian-born British writer, journalist, and naturalist. He was educated at Marlborough College and went on to build a varied career that included newspaper work, teaching, and literary writing.
Robinson became closely associated with Anglo-Indian journalism and popular prose. He worked on The Pioneer in India, later taught literature and philosophy at Allahabad, and wrote books such as In My Indian Garden and Under the Punkah. He is often remembered for helping popularize humorous Anglo-Indian literature, blending everyday colonial life with sharp observation and an easy, readable style.
His interests reached beyond journalism into natural history and travel, which gave his writing extra texture and curiosity. Robinson died in 1902, but his work still offers a vivid glimpse of British literary life in India at the end of the nineteenth century.