Robert Smythe Hichens
Encyclopedia
Robert Smythe Hichens was an English journalist, novelist, music lyricist, short story writer, music critic and collaborated on successful plays. He is best remembered as a satirist
of the "Naughty Nineties
".
in Kent
, the eldest son of a clergyman. He was educated at Clifton College
, the Royal College of Music
and early on had a desire to be a musician. Later in life he would be a music critic on the World, taking the place of George Bernard Shaw
. He also studied at the London School of Journalism
. Hichens was a great traveler. Egypt was one of his favorite destinations -- he first went there in the early 1890s for his health. For most of his later life he lived outside England, in Switzerland and the Riviera. He never married.
Hichens first novel, The Coastguard's Secret (1886), was written when he was only seventeen. He first became well known among the reading public with The Green Carnation
(1894), a satire of Oscar Wilde
and Lord Alfred Douglas
; since the work made clear Wilde was homosexual it was withdrawn from publication in 1895, but not before helping set the stage for Wilde's public disgrace and downfall.
Hichens first big success was An Imaginative Man (1895); set in the city of Cairo, Egypt a place which fascinated Hichens, it is a study of insanity, in which the hero has a number of sexual adventures and then smashes his head against the Great Sphinx. Other early fiction includes The Folly of Eustace (1896), a collection of stories including some supernatural; Flames (1897), a story resembling Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; The Londoners (1898), a satire about decadent London; The Slave (1899), a fantasy about an amazing emerald; Tongues of Conscience (1900), a collection of five horror stories including "How Love Came to Professor Guildea" (this story is about a supernatural visitation and is thought by some to be Hichens' best fiction -- it is frequently anthologized); Felix (1902), is an early fictional treatment of hypodermic morphine addiction; The Garden of Allah (1904) sold well internationally, and was made into film three times.
Hichens published his memoirs in 1947, Yesterday.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of the "Naughty Nineties
Gay Nineties
Gay Nineties is an American nostalgic term that refers to the decade of the 1890s. It is known in the UK as the Naughty Nineties, and refers there to the decade of supposedly decadent art by Aubrey Beardsley, the witty plays and trial of Oscar Wilde, society scandals and the beginning of the...
".
Biography
Hichens was born in SpeldhurstSpeldhurst
Speldhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish is to the west of Tunbridge Wells: the village is west of the town.-Parish Church:...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, the eldest son of a clergyman. He was educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
, the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
and early on had a desire to be a musician. Later in life he would be a music critic on the World, taking the place of George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
. He also studied at the London School of Journalism
London School of Journalism
The London School of Journalism is an independent journalism school based in London, England, which offers qualifications in journalism, freelance journalism and creative writing. The LSJ provides both on-site and distances learning to its students, ranging from short courses to postgraduate...
. Hichens was a great traveler. Egypt was one of his favorite destinations -- he first went there in the early 1890s for his health. For most of his later life he lived outside England, in Switzerland and the Riviera. He never married.
Hichens first novel, The Coastguard's Secret (1886), was written when he was only seventeen. He first became well known among the reading public with The Green Carnation
The Green Carnation
The Green Carnation, first published anonymously in 1894, was a scandalous novel by Robert Hichens whose lead characters are closely based on Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas - also known as 'Bosie', whom the author personally knew...
(1894), a satire of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
and Lord Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Douglas
Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas , nicknamed Bosie, was a British author, poet and translator, better known as the intimate friend and lover of the writer Oscar Wilde...
; since the work made clear Wilde was homosexual it was withdrawn from publication in 1895, but not before helping set the stage for Wilde's public disgrace and downfall.
Hichens first big success was An Imaginative Man (1895); set in the city of Cairo, Egypt a place which fascinated Hichens, it is a study of insanity, in which the hero has a number of sexual adventures and then smashes his head against the Great Sphinx. Other early fiction includes The Folly of Eustace (1896), a collection of stories including some supernatural; Flames (1897), a story resembling Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; The Londoners (1898), a satire about decadent London; The Slave (1899), a fantasy about an amazing emerald; Tongues of Conscience (1900), a collection of five horror stories including "How Love Came to Professor Guildea" (this story is about a supernatural visitation and is thought by some to be Hichens' best fiction -- it is frequently anthologized); Felix (1902), is an early fictional treatment of hypodermic morphine addiction; The Garden of Allah (1904) sold well internationally, and was made into film three times.
Hichens published his memoirs in 1947, Yesterday.
External links
- http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=mediatype%3A(texts)%20-contributor%3Agutenberg%20AND%20(subject%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20Smythe%2C%201864-1950%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Hichens%2C%20R%2E%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%2C%201864-1950%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%2C%201864-1950%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20Smythe%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Hichens%2C%20R%2E%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Robert%20Smythe%20Hichens%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Robert%20S%2E%20Hichens%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22R%2E%20S%2E%20Hichens%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20Smythe%2C%201864-1950%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20Smythe%2C%20Sir%2C%201864-1950%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hichens%2C%20R%2E%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%2C%201864-1950%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%2C%201864-1950%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20Smythe%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hichens%2C%20R%2E%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Robert%20Smythe%20Hichens%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Robert%20S%2E%20Hichens%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22R%2E%20S%2E%20Hichens%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Robert%20Smythe%20Hichens%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Robert%20S%2E%20Hichens%22%20OR%20title%3A%22R%2E%20S%2E%20Hichens%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Robert%20Smythe%20Hichens%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Robert%20S%2E%20Hichens%22%20OR%20description%3A%22R%2E%20S%2E%20Hichens%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20Smythe%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Hichens%2C%20R%2E%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Hichens%2C%20Robert%20S%2E%20%28Robert%20Smythe%29%22)Works by or about Robert Smythe Hichens] at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
(scanned books original editions color illustrated) - Hichens, Robert S, brief biography at The Literary Gothic
- Robert S Hichens, brief bibliography at Fantastic Fiction