author
Roy Horniman
1874–1930
A prolific British novelist and playwright of the Edwardian era, he is best remembered today for Israel Rank, the darkly clever novel that later inspired Kind Hearts and Coronets. His career ranged across fiction, theatre, and journalism, giving his work a lively sense of drama and social observation.
1 Audiobook
Israel Rank : The autobiography of a criminal
by Roy Horniman
About the author
Born Robert Horniman, Roy Horniman was a British writer, playwright, and man of the theatre whose work was especially active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He wrote novels, short stories, and plays, and was closely connected with the stage as an actor, manager, and adaptor as well as an author.
His best-known book is Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal, a witty and unsettling novel of ambition and murder that found a much wider afterlife when it became the basis for the classic film Kind Hearts and Coronets. That blend of sharp plotting and theatrical flair helps explain why his work still feels so adaptable.
Horniman also edited The Ladies' Review for a time, and archives of his papers describe a life that moved between literature, theatre, and public affairs. Though he is not as widely read now as some of his contemporaries, he remains an interesting figure for listeners who enjoy Edwardian fiction with bite, polish, and a taste for the dramatic.