Henry Herman (real name Henry Heydrac D'Arco, 1832–1894) was an English

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

Biography

He was born in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, and educated at a military college. He emigrated to the United States, and served in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighti ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, losing an eye as a result of a wound received in action. Afterwards, he moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and began to write for the stage. His first play, ''Jeanne Dubarry'', was produced at the Charing Cross Theatre in May 1875, and was followed the next year by ''Slight Mistakes'', a farce. In November 1882, was produced his first great success, '' The Silver King'', written in collaboration with

Henry Arthur Jones Henry Arthur Jones (20 September 1851 – 7 January 1929) was an English dramatist, who was first noted for his melodrama '' The Silver King'' (1882), and went on to write prolifically, often appearing to mirror Ibsen from the opposite (conser ...

, with whom he also wrote ''Breaking a Butterfly'' (an adaptation of

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...

's ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' ( Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having be ...

''; 1884) and ''Chatterton'' (1884). He then wrote ''Claudian'' with

William Gorman Wills William Gorman Wills (28 January 182813 December 1891), usually known as W. G. Wills, was an Irish dramatist, novelist and painter. Early life and career Wills was born at Blackwell lodge in the neighbourhood of Kilmurry, County Kilkenny, Ire ...

(1884), and ''The Golden Band'' (1887) with Freeman Wills. He also wrote: ''For Old Virginia'' (1891); ''Eagle Joe'' (1892); and ''Fay o' Fire'' (1885), a romantic opera, for which Edward Jones composed the music. Between 1887 and 1891 he wrote several novels in collaboration with David Christie Murray, such as: ''One Traveler Returns'' (1887); ''A Dangerous Catspaw'' (1889); ''The Bishops' Bible'' (1890); ''He Fell Among Thieves'' (1890); and ''Paul Jones's Alias'' (1891). He also wrote alone a large number of novels. On 24 September 1894, he died at

Gunnersbury Gunnersbury is an area of West London, England. Toponymy The name "Gunnersbury" means "Manor house of a woman called Gunnhildr", and is from an old Scandinavian personal name + Middle English -''bury'', manor or manor house. Development Gun ...

. He was buried at

Kensal Green cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, Henry 1832 births 1894 deaths English dramatists and playwrights Confederate States Army soldiers English male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists Foreign Confederate military personnel 19th-century English novelists 19th-century British dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English male writers