S. J. Adair (Shafto Justin Adair) Fitz-Gerald

Born in Bristol on November 9, 1859, Shafto Justin Adair Fitz-Gerald began his working life in the theater while still young, starting a stage career at about seventeen. He later left acting and turned to journalism, bringing that insider's feel for performance into much of his writing.

He became known as a writer, editor, and translator, and for many years was one of the chief writers for The Era, a major theatrical paper of its day. He also edited his own periodical, The Playgoer, and published fiction, nonfiction, and drama, including The Zankiwank and the Bletherwitch, Stories of Famous Songs, and Dickens and the Drama.

His work suggests a writer who was equally at home with fairy-tale invention and the practical world of the stage. Fitz-Gerald married Blanche Adeline Cawse in 1899 and died in 1925.