Perceval Gibbon (4 November 1879 – 30 May 1926) was an author and journalist, serving for the

Rand Daily Mail ''The Rand Daily Mail'' was a South African newspaper published from 1902 until it was controversially closed in 1985 after adopting an outspoken anti-apartheid stance in the midst of a massive clampdown on activists by the security forces. The t ...

in South Africa, as well as for other publications. Gibbon had travelled to South Africa in 1898, moved to the war front and became the representative of a syndicate of colonial newspapers at the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War. He is best remembered for his short stories, which often contained an ironic twist at the end. Gibbon's influence on the work of later South African authors has been acknowledged. For instance, the fictional narrator of ''Vrouw Grobelaar's Leading Cases'' (1905) is said to be a forerunner of Herman Charles Bosman's character Oom Schalk Lourens.

Early life

Gibbon was born in

Trelech Trelech () is a village and Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, in south-west Wales. Trelech is located some 10 miles north-west of Carmarthen and 6.5 miles south of Newcastle Emlyn, and in the parish of Tre-lech a'r Betws. Descri ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and was educated in the Moravian School, in Königsfeld, Baden, Germany. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was a

war correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

with the Italian Army from 1917 to 1918. From 1918–1919, Perceval Gibbon was a Major in the British

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

. After leaving school at Königsfeld, Gibbon joined the Merchant Navy as a cadet under sail, travelling in Europe, Africa, and the Americas. He writes with authority about the sea, ships and sailing and continued to retain close associations with the Navy throughout his writing life. His first acquaintance with the Royal Navy was as a young journalist reporting on courts-martial held in the HMS ''Victory'' at Portsmouth. During the First World War he was given a commission as a Major in the Royal Marine Artillery, employed as a sort of official eye-witness with the Navy. One outcome of this period was his authorship of ''The triumph of the Royal Navy'' (1919).

Career and adult life

Perceval Gibbon was a friend of the writer

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...

, and dedicated his novel ''Flower o' the Peach'' (1911) to Joseph Conrad and Jessie Conrad. Conrad dedicated his novel ''

Victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...

'' (1915) to Perceval and Maisie Gibbon. Gibbon's early works were influenced by his extensive travels throughout Europe, America, and Africa. In 2007 the work ''Margaret Harding'' was adapted into a screenplay by Meg Rickards who directed the mini-series and the made-for-TV feature film for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), under the title ''Land of Thirst''.

Selected works

* ''African Items'', 1903 (verse) * ''Souls in Bondage'', 1904 (novel) * ''Salvator'', 1905 (novel) * ''Vrouw Grobelaar's Leading Cases'', 1905 (stories) * ''Flower o' the Peach'', 1911 (novel). (Published in Britain by Methuen, London under the title ''Margaret Harding''). * ''The Adventures of Miss Gregory'', 1911 (stories) * ''Margaret Harding'', 1911 (novel), (published in the US by The Century Co, New York under the title ''Flower o' the Peach''). adapted into television series, Land of Thirst in 2008. * ''The Triumph of the Royal Navy: Official Record of the Surrender of the German Fleet'', 1918, Hodder & Stoughton, 48pp. * * ''The Dark Places'', 1926 (stories)

References

External links

Perceval Gibbon Papers
at the

Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...

Film based on "Margaret Harding"

Film based on "Margaret Harding"
* *

a
manybooks.net

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbon, Perceval 1879 births 1926 deaths Royal Marines officers Royal Marines personnel of World War I Military personnel from Carmarthenshire