Robert William Alexander was an Irish writer (usual pen name: Joan Butler) (21 November 1905 - 17 December 1979). With regard to the novels he wrote, under the pen name of Joan Butler, Alexander developed a funny style which echoed that of such authors as
Thorne Smith
James Thorne Smith, Jr. (March 27, 1892 – June 20, 1934) was an American writer of humorous supernatural fantasy fiction under the byline Thorne Smith. He is best known today for the two ''Topper'' novels, comic fantasy fiction involving se ...
and
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...
encyclopedia of science fiction: Butler,Joan
/ref>
Biography
Robert was born on 21 November 1905, in his family's house at Railway Avenue, Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location
* S ...
, County Dublin
County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...
, some 12 km northeast of the city center. Robert's father was an electrical engineer who worked with the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) (GNR(I), GNRI or simply GNR) was an Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway (INW), Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. Th ...
. The company ran the Hill of Howth Tramway
The Howth Tram on the Hill of Howth Tramway was a tram which served Howth Head, near Dublin, Ireland. The termini were at Sutton railway station, Dublin, Sutton railway station, by the entrance to the peninsula, and Howth railway station by the ...
, which ran between Sutton and Howth railway station
Howth station ( ; ), is a railway station in Fingal, Ireland that serves Howth village and one side of Howth Head.
History
The station opened on 30 May 1847. The Howth tram ran between here and Sutton railway station (all the way around Howt ...
, which opened in 1901. The Alexanders were the first family to take possession of one of the houses built by the company for the engineers, in Railway Avenue. The family remained settled there during Robert's (Bobby's) youth. Robert was the fourth son and the youngest child. Mary was the eldest, and John (Jack) and Ellen Christina (Eileen) followed later. Their parents, James and Ellen, were born in Waterford and moved to Dublin when they married.
List of published works
* As Joan Butler
** The Light Lover, 1929
** The Heavy Husband, 1930
** Unnatural Hazards, 1931
** Monkey Business, 1932
** Bed and Breakfast, 1933
** High Pressure, 1934
** Mixed Pickle, 1934
** Trouble Brewing, 1935
** Team Work, 1936
** Half Shot, 1937
** Something Rich, 1937
** Half Holiday, 1938
** Lost Property, 1938
** Happy Christmas!, 1939
** All Found, 1940
** Cloudy Weather, 1940
** Ground Bait, 1941
** Sun Spots, 1942
** Shirty Work, 1943
** Fresh Heir, 1944
** Low Spirits, 1945
** Rapid Fire, 1945
** Double Figures, 1946
** Full House, 1947
** The Old Firm, 1947
** Loving Cup, 1948
** Heat Haze, 1949
** Sheet Lightning, 1950
** Strictly Speaking, 1950
** Soothing Syrup, 1951
** Deep Freeze, 1952
** Set Fair, 1952
** Gilt Edged, 1953
** Lucky Dip, 1953
** Landed Gentry, 1954
** Paper Money, 1954
** All Change, 1955
** Space to Let, 1955
** Bridal Suite, 1956
** Inside Work, 1956
** Ready Cash, 1957
** Home Run, 1958
* As Robert William Alexander
** Black Pearl, 1926
** The Path of the Sun, 1927
** Trail's End, 1934
** Mariner's Rest, 1943
** Back to Nature, 1945
** Rustler's Trail, 1955
** The Killing at Broken Wheel, 1958
* As Ralph Temple
** Cuckoo Time, 1944
** Head Piece, 1953
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Robert William
1905 births
1979 deaths
Irish writers