William Benjamin Basil King (1859 – 1928) was a Canadian clergyman who became a writer after retiring from the clergy. His novels and non-fiction were spiritually oriented.

Life and career

He was born on February 26, 1859, in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. He was graduated from the

University of King's College The University of King's College is a public university, public Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia.Roper, Henry. "Aspects of the History of a Loyalist College: King's College, Windsor, and ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, and served as an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

rector at St. Luke's Pro-Cathedral in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, and later at Christ Church in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. King began writing in 1900 after he was forced to retire from the clergy due to loss of eyesight and

thyroid disease Thyroid disease is a medical condition that affects the structure and/or function of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck and produces thyroid hormones that travel through the blood to help regulate many other ...

. His anonymously published novel '' The Inner Shrine'', about a French Irish girl whose husband is killed in a duel, became very popular when published in 1909. King subsequently published a number of best-selling works. King's spiritual orientation increased later in his life. His ''The Abolishing of Death'' (1919) described the transmission of messages from a deceased chemist. ''The Conquest of Fear'' (1921) portrayed his own struggle with ill health and eventual spiritual growth, and lays out his somewhat

mystical Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight ...

approach to religious understanding. Critics often faulted King's fiction for its sentimentality and didacticism. He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on June 22, 1928.

Quotes

"Go at it boldly, and you'll find unexpected forces closing round you and coming to your aid." sometimes cited as "Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid."

Selected works

* ''Griselda'' (1900)J. Ernest Kerr, ''Imprint of the Maritimes'', 1959, Boston: Christopher Publishing, p. 118 * ''Let Not Man Put Asunder'' (1902) * ''The Giant's Strength'' (1907) * '' The Inner Shrine'' (1909) * ''The Wild Olive'' (1910) * ''The Street Called Straight'' (1912) * ''The Way Home'' (1913) * ''The Letter of the Contract'' (1914) * ''The Side of the Angels'' (1916) * ''The High Heart'' (1917) * ''The Lifted Veil'' (1917) * ''Abraham's Bosom'' (1918) * ''The Abolishing of Death'' (1919) * ''The City of Comrades'' (1919) * ''Going West'' (1919) * ''The Thread of Flame'' (1920) * ''The Conquest of Fear'' (1921) * ''The Dust Flower'' (1922) * ''The Discovery of God'' (1923) * ''The Happy Isles'' (1923) * ''The Bible and Common Sense'' (1924) * ''The Spreading Dawn: Stories of the Great Transition'' (1927). The collection contains six short stories: ** ''The Spreading Dawn'' (first appeared as short story in ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'', 1916) ** ''The Ghost's Story'' (first appeared as short story in ''The Red Book Magazine'', 1918) ** ''Heaven'' (first appeared as short story in ''Cosmopolitan'', 1924) ** ''Abraham's Bosom'' (first appeared as short story in ''Saturday Evening Post'', 1918) ** ''Going West'' (first appeared as short story in ''Pictorial Review'', 1918) ** ''The Last Enemy''

Filmography

*'' The Wild Olive'', directed by

Oscar Apfel Oscar C. Apfel (January 17, 1878 – March 21, 1938) was an American film actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He appeared in more than 160 films between 1913 and 1939, and also directed 94 films between 1911 and 1927. Biography Ap ...

(1915, based on the novel ''The Wild Olive'') *'' The Inner Shrine'', directed by

Frank Reicher Frank Reicher (born Franz Reichert; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Early life Reicher was born in M ...

(1917, based on the novel ''The Inner Shrine'') *'' The Lifted Veil'', directed by George D. Baker (1917, based on the novel ''The Lifted Veil'') *'' The Spreading Dawn'', directed by

Laurence Trimble Laurence Norwood Trimble (February 15, 1885 – February 8, 1954) was an American silent film film director, director, screenwriter, writer and actor. Trimble began his film career directing Jean (dog), Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, the first canine ...

(1917, based on the short story ''The Spreading Dawn'') *'' The City of Comrades'', directed by

Harry Beaumont Harry Beaumont (10 February 1888 – 22 December 1966) was an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. He worked for a variety of production companies including 20th Century Fox, Fox, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, Goldwyn, Metro Pictur ...

(1919, based on the novel ''The City of Comrades'') *', directed by

Wallace Worsley Wallace Ashley Worsley (December 8, 1878 – March 26, 1944) was an American stage actor who became a film actor and film director during the Silent film, silent era. Over the course of his career, Worsley directed 29 films and acted in 7. He dir ...

(1920, based on the novel ''The Street Called Straight'') *''

Earthbound ''EarthBound'', originally released in Japan as is a 1994 role-playing video game, role-playing video game developed by Ape, Inc., Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as the second e ...

'', directed by

T. Hayes Hunter Thomas Hayes Hunter (December 1, 1884 – April 14, 1944) was an American film director and Film producer, producer of the silent film, silent era. He directed a total of 34 films between 1912 and 1934. Early career Hayes was born on Decemb ...

(1920, based on the short story ''The Ghost's Story'') *''Dust Flower'', directed by Rowland V. Lee (1922, based on the novel ''The Dust Flower'') *'' Let Not Man Put Asunder'', directed by J. Stuart Blackton (1924, based on the novel ''Let Not Man Put Asunder'') *''Damaged Hearts'', directed by

(1924, based on a story by Basil King) *''

Tides of Passion Tides of Passion may refer to: * Tides of Passion (1925 film), an American silent drama film * Tides of Passion (1956 film) ''Tides of Passion'' (French: ''La foire aux femmes'') is a 1956 French-Italian romantic drama film directed by Jean Ste ...

'', directed by J. Stuart Blackton (1925, based on the novel ''In the Garden of Charity'') *''

'', directed by

Irving Pichel Irving Pichel (June 24, 1891 – July 13, 1954) was an American actor and film director, who won acclaim both as an actor and director in his Hollywood career. Career Pichel was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Pittsburgh. He attended ...

(1940, based on the short story ''The Ghost's Story'')

References

External links

Short biography of Basil King
Online-Literature.com
Portrait of the author, 1923
Univ. of Washington: Sayre collection

Electronic editions

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Basil 1859 births 1928 deaths Canadian Anglican priests Canadian male novelists Writers from Charlottetown 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers Novelists from Prince Edward Island