Nugent Barker (1888–1955) was an Irish writer. Little is known about him, but he is thought to have come from an old Irish family, the Nugents of

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

. He is remembered for the evocative ghost story "Whessoe", and the grimly humorous "Curious Adventure of Mr Bond". Barker studied at

Cheltenham College ("Work Conquers All") , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent SchoolDay and Boarding School , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Nicola Huggett ...

, where one of his classmates was Herman Cyril McNeile, who later wrote thrillers under the pseudonym "Sapper". Richard Dalby, ''The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories'', London: Robinson Books. , p. 45.

Stories and ratings

Although rated highly by contemporaries – Edward Joseph Harrington O'Brien's ''The Best British Stories of 1929'', is dedicated to him – little is known of his life. The twenty-one tales in ''Written With My Left Hand'', first collected in 1950, are thought to represent his total of literary output. The reprint of "Whessoe" in the ''Best British Short Stories of 1929'' contains the only biographical note extant. It stated that he was educated at

and began his career as a black–and–white artist. When in 1914 the doctors failed to pass him into the army on account of his eyes, he devoted himself entirely to literature. The note added that he lived in London. Barker indeed lived at 16 Tite Street,

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament const ...

in the late 1920s, a house previously occupied by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

. Barker lived there until his death in 1955. Richard Dalby has described Barker as the author of "many excellent short stories". Douglas A. Anderson opined in a Foreword to a later edition of ''Written With My Left Hand'' that Barker ranks alongside fellow 20th-century exponents of the strange story,

Walter de la Mare Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for a highly acclaimed selection of ...

and John Metcalfe.

Bibliography

*''Written With My Left Hand'', Percival Marshall & Co. (London), 1951. Ditto,

Tartarus Press Tartarus Press is an independent book publisher based near Leyburn, Yorkshire, UK.

, 2002

References

External links

*http://www.tartaruspress.com/b7.htm *http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~agg/ghosts/#barkern * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Nugent English short story writers Ghost story writers English horror writers English fantasy writers 1888 births 1955 deaths