Lionel Pigot Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was an English poet, essayist, and critic (although he claimed Irish descent and wrote on Celtic themes).

Life

Johnson was born in Broadstairs,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England in 1867 and educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

. While at Winchester, Johnson became friends with

Frank Russell, 2nd Earl Russell John Francis Stanley Russell, 2nd Earl Russell, known as Frank Russell (12 August 18653 March 1931), was a British nobleman, barrister and politician, the elder brother of the philosopher Bertrand Russell, and the grandson of John Russell, 1st ...

. The two started a lengthy religious discussion that Russell later published as ''Some Winchester Letters of Lionel Johnson'' (1919). Johnson graduated from New College, Oxford, in 1890 and converted to Catholicism in June 1891. At that time, Johnson introduced Lord Alfred Douglas to his friend Oscar Wilde. Johnson later denounced Wilde in "The Destroyer of a Soul" (1892) and deeply regretted that he had unwittingly initiated the secret homosexual relationship that had devolved into a public scandal. In 1893, Johnson published what some consider his greatest work, "Dark Angel". During his lifetime, he published: ''The Art of Thomas Hardy'' (1894), ''Poems'' (1895), and ''Ireland and Other Poems'' (1897). Johnson was a member of the

Rhymers' Club The Rhymers' Club was a group of London-based male poets, founded in 1890 by W. B. Yeats and Ernest Rhys. Originally not much more than a dining club, it produced anthologies of poetry in 1892 and 1894.''The Oxford Companion to English Literatu ...

, and cousin to

Olivia Shakespear Olivia Shakespear (; 17 March 1863 – 3 October 1938) was a British novelist, playwright, and patron of the arts. She wrote six books that are described as "marriage problem" novels. Her works sold poorly, sometimes only a few hundred cop ...

(who dedicated her novel ''The False Laurel'' to him). Johnson died of a " cerebral haemorrhage", per an inquest on 8 October 1902, after collapsing in The Green Dragon on Fleet Street in London. The story of Johnson's being struck and killed by a

hansom cab The hansom cab is a kind of horse-drawn carriage designed and patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, an architect from York. The vehicle was developed and tested by Hansom in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. Originally called the Hansom safety ca ...

is a myth.

Legacy

* In October 2018,

Strange Attractor Press Mark Pilkington (born 26 February 1973) is a writer, publisher, curator and musician with particular interest in the fringes of knowledge, culture and belief. Career He has written two books, ''Mirage Men'' (2010) and ''Far Out: 101 Strange T ...

published ''Incurable: The Haunted Writings of Lionel Johnson, the Decadent Era's Dark Angel'', edited by Nina Antonia. *

Duncan Fallowell Duncan Fallowell (born 1948) is an English novelist, travel writer, memoirist, journalist and critic. Early life Fallowell was born on 26 September 1948 in London. His family later moved to Somerset and Essex before settling in Berkshire. While ...

included ''Incurable'' in his list of books for the books of the year section (2018) in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

''. *

Michael Dirda Michael Dirda (born 1948) is a book critic for the ''Washington Post''. He has been a Fulbright Fellow and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993. Career Having studied at Oberlin College for his undergraduate degree in 1970, Dirda took an M.A. in 1974 a ...

, in his 5 December 2018 book review for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', entitled "The '90s are having a literary moment. That is, the 1890s... " recommended ''Incurable'' as a must read. * Eric Hoffman reviewed ''Incurable'' in the ''

Fortean Times ''Fortean Times'' is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing (from 1991 to 2001), I Feel Good Publishing (2001 to 2005), Dennis Publishing (2005 to 2 ...

'' on 25 February 2019, saying "This handsome volume from the excellent Strange Attractor Press includes a lengthy, authoritative introduction by Antonia, which provides biographical and critical contexts...''Incurable'' is an accessible introduction to the work of this minor, yet distinctive, poet." * On 1 May 2019 Alan Contreras reviewed ''Incurable'' in the '' Gay and Lesbian Review'', saying Johnson's: "writing conjured worlds of the imagination" and called Nina Antonia's illustrated biography "masterful, gorgeously written and packed with carefully researched gossip." * In the tabletop wargame

Warhammer 40,000 ''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...

the Primarch of the "Dark Angels" Chapter of Space Marines, Lion El Johnson, would appear to be named after Lionel Johnson, the Primarch's Chapter being a reference to his work "Dark Angel" * Robert Asch, ed
Lionel Johnson: Poetry and Prose

Saint Austin Press Saint Austin Press is a British Roman Catholic publishing house founded in 1996. Its editor-in-chief is Robert Asch. In its first ten years of operation, when it was based in Brockley, Saint Austin Press published around 50 books on various th ...

, 2021. ISBN 978-1919673004.

References

Bibliography

*''Twenty one poems written by Lionel Johnson, selected by

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

'' ( Dun Emer Press, 1904
online text
*''Some Winchester Letters of Lionel Johnson'', (George Allen & Unwin, London, 1919.) *''The collected poems of Lionel Johnson'' (1953) edited by Ian Fletcher, Unicorn Press, London (reprinted 1982). *''Post Liminium. Essays and Critical Papers'' (1911) edited by Thomas Whittemore,

Elkin Mathews Charles Elkin Mathews (1851 – 10 November 1921) was a British publisher and bookseller who played an important role in the literary life of London in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mathews was born in Gravesend, and learned his tr ...

, London (reprinted 1968). *''Lionel Johnson Victorian Dark Angel'' by Richard Whittington-Egan, Cappella Archive (2012). *''At the Heart of the 1890s: Essays on Lionel Johnson'' Gary Paterson, AMS Press (2008) *
Incurable: The Haunted Writings of Lionel Johnson, the Decadent Era’s Dark Angel
' edited by Nina Antonia,

(2018)
Lionel Johnson: Poetry and Prose
edited by Robert Asch,

(2021)

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Lionel 1867 births 1902 deaths English Catholic poets English essayists English Roman Catholics People from Broadstairs Converts to Roman Catholicism British gay writers People educated at Winchester College Alumni of New College, Oxford British male essayists English male poets 19th-century English poets 19th-century English male writers 19th-century essayists English male non-fiction writers