Francis Henry Gribble (1862-1946) was a British writer born in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he worked in the Ministry of Information. He published a memoir called ''Seen in Passing'' (1926). He was the son of a banker and received his education at

Chatham House Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute headquartered in London. Its stated mission is to provide commentary on world events and offer solutions to global challenges. It is ...

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...

, and

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...

. He finished Oxford in 1884 with a degree in classics. Gribble became a teacher of Classics, but moved to London to become a journalist in 1887. He also began to publish fiction books in the 1890s. His novel ''The Red Spell'' (1895) was about the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

. His most significant novel is ''The Pillar of Cloud'' (1906) about a boarding-house for women who plot to escape the service life. It is not considered a

feminist novel The following is a list of feminist literature, listed by year of first publication, then within the year alphabetically by title (using the English title rather than the foreign language title if available/applicable). Books and magazines are ...

but it does emphasize a female community and the idea that women should not depend too much upon men. He also wrote travel books and biographies, among these, ''The Love Affairs of Lord Byron'' (1910), ''The Life of Emperor Francis Joseph'' (1914) and ''The Romantic Life of Shelley'' (1911). He was held at the

Ruhleben internment camp Ruhleben internment camp was a civilian detention camp in Germany during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, a former ''Vorwerk'' manor to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. The ...

during

. When he returned to London he reported that Germany was in danger of famine.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1862 births 1946 deaths British writers