''Called Back'' is an 1883 mystery/romance novel written by Englishman Frederick John Fargus under the pseudonym
Hugh Conway
Hugh Conway, the pen name of Frederick John Fargus (26 December 1847 – 15 May 1885), was an English novelist born in Bristol, the son of an auctioneer. He had success with his fiction in the early 1880s.
Life
Fargus was intended for his father ...
and published in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
by
J. W. Arrowsmith.
Over 350,000 copies were sold within four years, and Fargus produced a stage version in London in 1884. The book was popular during the 1880s in
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...
, a fact that has been correlated with the use of the phrase "called back" by American poet
Emily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry.
Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...
in her later life. The book, which a friend sent to her, impressed her. She used the title in a later letter. In what was evidently the last letter she composed shortly before she died in May 1886, she simply wrote, "Little Cousins, Called back. Emily."
Notes
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English novels
Works published under a pseudonym
1883 British novels
British mystery novels
British romance novels