Robert Hugh Benson

Born in 1871, he was the youngest son of Edward White Benson, who became Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1895, and later made the much-discussed decision to enter the Roman Catholic Church in 1903.

Ordained a Catholic priest in 1904, he became known both as an apologist and as a remarkably productive writer. His books ranged from religious nonfiction to historical novels and supernatural tales, but readers most often remember him for Lord of the World, a dark future vision that has kept his name alive long after his early death in 1914.

What makes his work memorable is the way big religious and moral questions are carried by clear, readable storytelling. Even when his ideas are intense, his writing is energetic and accessible, which helps explain why his novels continue to find new listeners and readers.