Edward Rose (7 August 1849 – 31 December 1904) was an English playwright, best known for his adaptations of novels for the stage, mainly ''
The Prisoner of Zenda
''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in order ...
''. He was also the theatre critic for ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
''.
Biography
Edward Rose was born in Swaffham, Norfolk, on 7 August 1849, son of Caleb Rose, a physician, and his first wife, Isabella Morse. He attended Islington Proprietary School and Ipswich Grammar School. He worked in the solicitors firm Cobbold and Yarrington (in Ipswich) for four years, from 1868 to 1872. In 1872 he moved to London.
He began writing plays in 1869, and first had a play – ''Our Farm'' – produced in London in 1872. He was a regular contributor to the
Illustrated London News
''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...
, specifically, the English Homes series, and was the theatre critic for the Sunday Times starting in 1894 and continuing until at least 1897. His greatest success as a playwright came in 1896 with the premiere of his adaption of ''The Prisoner of Zenda''. He later adapted other works of
Anthony Hope
Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope (9 February 1863 – 8 July 1933), was a British novelist and playwright. He was a prolific writer, especially of adventure novels but he is remembered predominantly for only two books: ''Th ...
, but none reached the same level of success.
He married Elizabeth Ann Gould, and had two daughters, Lucy and Dorothy. His elder daughter, Lucy, died when she was ten, and in her memory Rose endowed a research post at the
London School of Economics
, mottoeng = To understand the causes of things
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £240.8 million (2021)
, budget = £391.1 millio ...
and paid for the education of a
board school
School boards were public bodies in England and Wales between 1870 and 1902, which established and administered elementary schools.
School boards were created in boroughs and parishes under the Elementary Education Act 1870 following campaignin ...
girl.
He served for a while as the Vice-President of the Playgoer's Club, and was a member of the Fabian Society. He "took an active interest in the founding of
Letchworth Garden City
Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 33,249.
Letchworth ...
."
In 1902, Rose published ''The Rose Reader'' "a new way of teaching to read," that used only words that were spelled the way they sounded, in order to develop the love of reading before complicating the process.
Edward Rose died on 31 December 1904 at the age of 55.
Confusion with Edward Everett Rose
He is sometimes confused or conflated with
Edward Everett Rose
Edward Everett Rose (February 11, 1862 - April 2, 1939) was an American playwright. He adapted a number of popular novels into plays, including '' Janice Meredith'', ''Richard Carvel'', ''David Harum'', ''Eben Holden'', '' The Battle of the Stro ...
(1862–1939), a Canadian-born American dramatist also known for dramatizing novels, notably ''
Richard Carvel
''Richard Carvel'' is a historical novel by the American novelist Winston Churchill. It was first published in 1899 and was exceptionally successful, selling around two million copies and making the author a rich man. The novel takes the form of th ...
'' and the
Penrod stories of
Booth Tarkington
Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitze ...
.
Partial bibliography
* ''Our Farm'' (1st perf. 29 June 1872)
* ''Columbus: A Historical Play in Five Acts'' (published 1873)
* ''A Congress at Paris'' (1st perf. July 1878)
* ''Incognita'' (1st perf. 17 February 1879)
* ''Wild Flowers: A Dramatic Sketch in One Act'' (published 1880)
* ''Mad'' (1st perf. 12 June 1880)
* ''The Marble Arch: a Comedietta in One Act'' (published 1882) (with A. J. Garraway) (adapted from Die Versucherin by Gustav von Moser)
* ''
Vice Versa; A Lesson to Fathers'' (1st perf. 9 April 1883) (Adapted from the
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by
F. Anstey
Thomas Anstey Guthrie (8 August 1856 – 10 March 1934) was an English author (writing as F. Anstey), most noted for his comic novel ''Vice Versa'' about a boarding-school boy and his father exchanging identities. His reputation was confirmed b ...
)
* ''Equals: a Comedy in Three Acts'' (2 July 1883) (Adapted from Le Gendre de Monsieur Poirier by
Émile Augier
Guillaume Victor Émile Augier (; 17 September 182025 October 1889) was a French dramatist. He was the thirteenth member to occupy seat 1 of the Académie française on 31 March 1857.
Biography
Augier was born at Valence, Drôme
Valence (, ...
)
* ''Odd, to Say the Least of It'' (1886)
* ''A Girl Graduate: a Varsity Idyll'' (1st perf. 28 June 1886)
* ''Her Father'' (1st perf. 16 May 1889) (with J. Douglass) (adapted from ''Conflicto Entre dos Deberes'' by
José Echegaray
José Echegaray y Eizaguirre (19 April 183214 September 1916) was a Spanish civil engineer, mathematician, statesman, and one of the leading Spanish dramatists of the last quarter of the 19th century. He was awarded the 1904 Nobel Prize in Li ...
)
* ''The Adventurers'' (1st perf. 24 June 1892) (Adapted from L'Aventuriere by
Émile Augier
Guillaume Victor Émile Augier (; 17 September 182025 October 1889) was a French dramatist. He was the thirteenth member to occupy seat 1 of the Académie française on 31 March 1857.
Biography
Augier was born at Valence, Drôme
Valence (, ...
)
[Adams, William Davenport. A Dictionary of the Drama. 1904. https://books.google.com/books?id=1UM5AAAAIAAJ]
* ''Agatha Tylden, Merchant and Shipowner'' (1st perf. 17 October 1892)
* ''The Babble Shop; or, Lord Wyndhamere's Fan'' (1st perf. 30 March 1893)
* ''
The Prisoner of Zenda: A Romantic Play in Prologue and Four Acts'' (7 January 1896) (Adapted from the novel by Anthony Hope)
* ''Under the Red Robe'' (1st perf. 17 October 1896) (Adapted from the novel by
Stanley J. Weyman)
* ''Phroso; A Drama of Adventure in Four Acts'' (published 1898) (with H. V. Esmond) (Adapted from the novel by
Anthony Hope
Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope (9 February 1863 – 8 July 1933), was a British novelist and playwright. He was a prolific writer, especially of adventure novels but he is remembered predominantly for only two books: ''Th ...
)
* ''In Days of Old'' (1st perf. 16 April 1899)
* ''English Nell'' (1st perf. 21 August 1900) (Adapted from
Anthony Hope
Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope (9 February 1863 – 8 July 1933), was a British novelist and playwright. He was a prolific writer, especially of adventure novels but he is remembered predominantly for only two books: ''Th ...
's novel Simon Dale)
* ''Grandmamma'' (1st perf. 22 March 1904)
References
External links
The Idler: An Illustrated Monthly MagazineA magazine from Feb. - July 1896 that contains a section on the play adaptation of ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', including an interview with Edward Rose. The ''Zenda'' section begins on p. 359.
The Theatrical 'World'A publication from 1897 with reviews of Edward Rose adaptation of ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' and ''Under the Red Robe''. The ''Zenda'' section begins on p. 12, and the ''Red Robe'' section on p. 283.
''The Troublesome Raigne of John, King of England''Contains a paper by Edward Rose entitled "Shakespeare as an Adapter." Begins on p. v.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Edward
1849 births
1904 deaths
People from Swaffham
British theatre critics
People educated at Islington Proprietary School
English male dramatists and playwrights
19th-century English dramatists and playwrights
19th-century English male writers