The Invisible Prince: "You mustn't hope to disconcert me with questions like that"

Henry Harland was born in Brooklyn in the United States on 1st March 1861.

Harland was educated at the City College of New York and for a short spell Harvard Divinity School. In May 1884, he married Aline Herminie Merriam, who shared his artistic interests.

As a writer his works fall into two separate periods. He initially wrote under a pseudonym, Sidney Luska, and published a series of highly sensational novels. Whilst these were of a fashionable type at the time they contained little evidence of his literary qualities.

In 1889 the Harland’s’ moved to London and here he became an advocate of the Aesthetic movement. He now began to write under his own name and, in 1894, became the founding literary editor of avant-garde and boundary bending illustrated quarterly The Yellow Book, on which Aubrey Beardsley was the artistic editor. Despite its undoubted literary worth in producing new talents, especially women, and getting contributions from such luminaries as Henry James, H G Wells, Charlotte mew and George Gissing it was also ‘forced to close in 1897 after 13 issues.

The short story collections of this new period, A Latin Quarter Courtship (1889), Mademoiselle Miss (1893), Grey Roses (1895), and Comedies and Errors (1898), were praised by critics but had little general popularity. He finally achieved a wide readership with The Cardinal's Snuff-box’ (1900), which was followed by ‘The Lady Paramount’ (1901) and ‘My Friend Prospero’ (1903).

His last novel, ‘The Royal End’, was unfinished at his death but, working from his notes his wife completed the work and it was published in 1909.

Henry Harland died on 20th December 1905 at San Remo, Italy, after a prolonged period of tuberculosis.

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Rafbók: 1 januari 2023