Leonard Merrick (21 February 1864 – 7 August 1939) was an English novelist. Although largely forgotten today, he was widely admired by his peers;

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

called Merrick the "novelist's novelist."

Life and work

He was born as Leonard Miller in

Belsize Park Belsize Park is a residential area of Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden, in the Inner London, inner North West London, north-west of London, England. The residential streets are lined with Georgian and Victorian villas and mews houses. ...

, London, of

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parentage. After schooling at

Brighton College Brighton College is a fee-charging, co-educational, boarding and day public school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton and Hove, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18), Brighton Co ...

, he studied to be a solicitor in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

and studied law at

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, but he was forced to travel to South Africa at the age of eighteen after his father suffered a serious financial loss. There he worked as an overseer in the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

diamond mine and in a solicitor's office. After surviving a near-fatal case of "camp fever," he returned to London in the late 1880s and worked as an actor and actor-manager under the stage name of Leonard Merrick. He legally changed his name to Leonard Merrick in 1892. He later worked his experiences in South Africa and in the theatre into numerous works of fiction. Merrick's novels include ''Mr Bazalgette's Agent'' (1888), a detective story; ''Violet Moses'' (1891), about a Jewish financier and his troubled wife; ''The Worldlings'' (1900), a psychological investigation of a crime; ''Conrad in Quest of His Youth'' (1903), the tale of a disillusioned man who, at thirty-seven, sets out to pick up the romantic threads of his younger life, which is "judged his most successful work" according to John Sutherland;

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

thought that this is because it is one of the few of his books which is not set against a background of poverty. Merrick was well regarded by other writers of his era. In 1918 fifteen writers, including famous authors such as

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, journalist and magazine editor, and literary and art critic. Chesterton created the fictional priest-detective Father Brow ...

and

William Dean Howells William Dean Howells ( ; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American Realism (arts), realist novelist, literary critic, playwright, and diplomat, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ...

, collaborated with publisher

E. P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton (January 1, ...

to issue ''The Works of Leonard Merrick'' in fifteen volumes, which were published between 1918 and 1922. Each volume in the series was selected and prefaced by one of the writers. In 2009, a biography was published titled ''Leonard Merrick: A Forgotten Novelist's Novelist'' by William Baker and Jeannettes Robert Shumaker, the first comprehensive treatment of Merrick. The title is taken in part from a quote by J. M. Barrie who called Merrick a "novelist's novelist." William Dean Howells wrote of Merrick "I can think of no recent fictionist of his nation who can quite match with Mr. Merrick in that excellence f "shapeliness" or form in the novel This will seem great praise, possibly too great, to the few who have a sense of such excellence; but it will probably be without real meaning to most, though our public might well enjoy form if it could once be made to imagine it."

, while describing Merrick as a "good bad writer", rather than a strictly good writer, admitted to a great admiration for his work; he particularly praised ''Cynthia'' (which was also a favourite of Chesterton's), the story of a struggling writer and his wife, and ''The Position of Peggy Harper'', with its portrayal of the unromantic side of provincial theatre. In Orwell's view, nobody conveyed better than Merrick how dreary and dispiriting an actor's life can be.

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

, another admirer, had recruited Orwell to write an introduction to any work by Merrick while Greene was publisher for

Eyre & Spottiswoode Eyre & Spottiswoode was the London-based printing firm established in 1739 that was the King's Printer, and subsequently, a publisher prior to being incorporated; it once went by the name of Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & co. ltd. In April 1929, it ...

in 1944. Orwell offered to write one for ''The Position of Peggy Harper'', but it wasn't meant to be. At least eleven of Merrick's stories have been adapted to screen, most in the 1920s, including '' Conrad in Quest of His Youth'' (1920) directed by

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

. Later adaptions include a 1931 film '' The Magnificent Lie'' based on the story "Laurels and the Lady", and a 1952 TV episode called "Masquerade" for ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...

'' based on the story "The Doll in the Pink Silk Dress". Merrick died on 7 August 1939 at the age of 75, twelve days before the start of World War II; he was at a London nursing home.

Works

Novels

*''Mr Bazalgette's Agent'' (1888) *''Violet Moses'' (1891) *''The Man Who Was Good'' (1892) *''Cynthia'' (1896) *''One Man's View'' (1897) *''The Actor-Manager'' (1898) *''The Worldlings'' (1900) *''When Love Flies out o' the Window'' (1902) *''Conrad in Quest of His Youth'' (1903) *''The Quaint Companions'' (1903) *''The House of Lynch'' (1907) *''The Position of Peggy Harper'' (1911)

Short story collections

*''This Stage of Fools'' (1896) *''Whispers About Women'' (1906) *''The Man Who Understood Women'' (1908) *'' While Paris Laughed'' (1918) *''A Chair on the Boulevard'' (1919) *''To Tell You the Truth'' (1922) *''The Call from the Past and Other Stories'' (1924) *''Four Stories'' (1927) *''The Little Dog Laughed'' (1930)

Plays

*''The Free Pardon''. Written with F. C. Philips *''When the Lamps are Lighted'' *''My Innocent Boy'' *''The Elixir of Youth'' *''A Woman in the Case''. Written with George R. Sims

Filmography

*', directed by

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...

and

Dell Henderson George Adelbert "Dell" Henderson (July 5, 1877 – December 2, 1956) was a Canadian-American actor, film director, director, and writer. He began his long and prolific film career in the early days of silent film. Biography Born in the southwest ...

(1918, based on the play ''The Imposter'') *''The Worldlings'', directed by Eric Harrison (UK, 1920, based on the novel ''The Worldlings'') *'' Conrad in Quest of His Youth'', directed by

(1920, based on the novel ''Conrad in Quest of His Youth'') *'' Fool's Paradise'', directed by

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

(1921, based on the story ''Laurels and the Lady'') *''

A Daughter of Luxury ''A Daughter of Luxury'' is a 1922 American silent comedy film directed by Paul Powell and written by Beulah Marie Dix based upon the play ''The Imposter'' by Leonard Merrick and Michael Morton. The film stars Agnes Ayres, Tom Gallery, Edith ...

'', directed by Paul Powell (1922, based on the play ''The Imposter'') *''

The Darling of the Rich ''The Darling of the Rich'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring Betty Blythe, Gladys Leslie, and Montagu Love.Munden p. 172 Plot Cast * Betty Blythe as Charmion Winship * Gladys Leslie as Lizzie Calla ...

'', directed by

John G. Adolfi John Gustav Adolfi (February 19, 1888 – May 11, 1933) was an American silent film director, actor, and screenwriter who was involved in more than 100 productions throughout his career. An early acting credit was in the recently restored 1912 fi ...

(1922, based on the play ''The Imposter'') *''

A Thief in Paradise A Thief in Paradise may refer to: * ''A Thief in Paradise'' (1925 film), an American silent drama film * ''A Thief in Paradise'' (1952 film), an Italian comedy film {{DEFAULTSORT:Thief in Paradise, A ...

'', directed by

George Fitzmaurice George Fitzmaurice (13 February 1885 – 13 June 1940) was a French-born film director and Film producer, producer. Career Fitzmaurice's career first started as a set designer on stage. Beginning in 1914, and continuing until his death in 1940 ...

(1925, based on the novel ''The Worldlings'') *'' School for Wives'', directed by

Victor Halperin Victor Hugo Halperin (August 24, 1895, Chicago, Illinois – May 17, 1983, Bentonville, Arkansas) was an American stage actor, stage director, film director, film producer, producer, and writer. The majority of his works involved romance film, rom ...

(1925, based on the novel ''The House of Lynch'') *'' The Magnificent Lie'', directed by

Berthold Viertel Berthold Viertel (28 June 1885 – 24 September 1953) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director, known for his work in Germany, the UK and the US. Early career Viertel was born in Vienna, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but late ...

(1931, based on the story ''Laurels and the Lady'')

Notes

External links

* * * * *''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' magazine . {{DEFAULTSORT:Merrick, Leonard 1864 births 1939 deaths 19th-century English novelists 20th-century English novelists 19th-century English short story writers 20th-century English short story writers Jewish English writers Jewish novelists Novelists from London People educated at Brighton College English male novelists 19th-century English male writers 20th-century English male writers