John Cournos
Encyclopedia
John Cournos a writer of Russia
n-Jewish background, was born in the Ukraine
, whence his family emigrated when he was aged 10. During the 1910s and 1920s, he lived in Britain, where his literary career started. He later emigrated to the USA, where he spent the rest of his life.
He was one of the Imagist poets, but is better known for his novel
s, short stories
, essay
s and criticism, and as a translator of Russian literature
. He used the pseudonym
John Courtney. He also wrote for The Philadelphia Record
under the pseudonym "Gorky."
Later in life he married Helen Kestner (1893–1960), who was also an author, under the pseudonym
Sybil Norton. However, he is probably best known for his unhappy affair with Dorothy L. Sayers
, fictionalized by Sayers in the detective book Strong Poison
(1930
) and by Cournos himself in The Devil Is an English Gentleman (1932
).
Cournos was involved with a London-based anti-Communist organization named The Russian Liberation Committee. On its behalf he wrote in 1919 a propaganda pamphlet named London under the Bolsheviks: A Londoner's Dream on Returning from Petrograd.
In Cournos' lurid but humorous future history
, a British revolutionary regime introduces a new currency named "The MacDonald" for Ramsey MacDonald; MacDonald is, however, soon shoved aside by the Bolshevik leaders MacLenin and Trotsman (sic). A counter-revolutionary drive by General Haig
is defeated at St Albans
. Lloyd George is imprisoned in the Tower of London
. H.G. Wells, too, is imprisoned by the Bolsheviks, despite his left-leaning book Love and Mr Lewisham
. London is portrayed as plagued by poverty, with black market cigarettes and broken lifts, and the narrator wanders round the Strand
exclaiming at the filth of the streets, the idlers and the jealous envy displayed towards his new boots.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-Jewish background, was born in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, whence his family emigrated when he was aged 10. During the 1910s and 1920s, he lived in Britain, where his literary career started. He later emigrated to the USA, where he spent the rest of his life.
He was one of the Imagist poets, but is better known for his novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s and criticism, and as a translator of Russian literature
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
. He used the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
John Courtney. He also wrote for The Philadelphia Record
The Philadelphia Record
The Philadelphia Record was a daily newspaper published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1877 until 1947. The Record was founded in 1877 as a one-cent daily newspaper...
under the pseudonym "Gorky."
Later in life he married Helen Kestner (1893–1960), who was also an author, under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Sybil Norton. However, he is probably best known for his unhappy affair with Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy Leigh Sayers was a renowned English crime writer, poet, playwright, essayist, translator and Christian humanist. She was also a student of classical and modern languages...
, fictionalized by Sayers in the detective book Strong Poison
Strong Poison
Strong Poison is a 1929 novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, her fifth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey.-Plot introduction:It is in Strong Poison that Lord Peter first meets Harriet Vane, an author of police fiction. The immediate problem is that she is on trial for her life, charged with murdering her former...
(1930
1930 in literature
The year 1930 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*January 6 - The first literary character licensing agreement is signed by A. A. Milne, granting Stephen Slesinger U.S...
) and by Cournos himself in The Devil Is an English Gentleman (1932
1932 in literature
The year 1932 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*E. V. Knox replaces Sir Owen Seaman as editor of Punch magazine.*Samuel Beckett's first novel, Dream of Fair to Middling Women, is rejected by several publishers....
).
Anti-Communist Propaganda
In the aftermath of the October RevolutionOctober Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
Cournos was involved with a London-based anti-Communist organization named The Russian Liberation Committee. On its behalf he wrote in 1919 a propaganda pamphlet named London under the Bolsheviks: A Londoner's Dream on Returning from Petrograd.
In Cournos' lurid but humorous future history
Future history
A future history is a postulated history of the future and is used by authors in the subgenre of speculative fiction to construct a common background for fiction...
, a British revolutionary regime introduces a new currency named "The MacDonald" for Ramsey MacDonald; MacDonald is, however, soon shoved aside by the Bolshevik leaders MacLenin and Trotsman (sic). A counter-revolutionary drive by General Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC, was a British senior officer during World War I. He commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to the end of the War...
is defeated at St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
. Lloyd George is imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
. H.G. Wells, too, is imprisoned by the Bolsheviks, despite his left-leaning book Love and Mr Lewisham
Love and Mr Lewisham
Love and Mr Lewisham is a 1900 novel by H. G. Wells, amongst his first outside the science fiction genre.-Plot summary:Mr. Lewisham leaves the country to live in London. His youthful dreams of fame and glory slowly fade, replaced by the possibility of redemption through love. Mr. Lewisham attends...
. London is portrayed as plagued by poverty, with black market cigarettes and broken lifts, and the narrator wanders round the Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
exclaiming at the filth of the streets, the idlers and the jealous envy displayed towards his new boots.