Henry Herman (real name Henry Heydrac D'Arco, 1832–1894) was an English

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

Biography

He was born in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, and educated at a military college. He emigrated to the United States, and served in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, losing an eye as a result of a wound received in action. Afterwards, he moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and began to write for the stage. His first play, ''Jeanne Dubarry'', was produced at the

Charing Cross Theatre The Charing Cross Theatre is a theatre under The Arches off Villiers Street below Charing Cross station. Founded in 1936, the venue occupied several premises in the West End of London before locating to its present site. The current site was o ...

in May 1875, and was followed the next year by ''Slight Mistakes'', a farce. In November 1882, was produced his first great success, '' The Silver King'', written in collaboration with

Henry Arthur Jones Henry Arthur Jones (20 September 1851 – 7 January 1929) was an English dramatist, who was first noted for his melodrama '' The Silver King'' (1882), and went on to write prolifically, often appearing to mirror Ibsen from the opposite (conserva ...

, with whom he also wrote ''Breaking a Butterfly'' (an adaptation of

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish and nb, Et dukkehjem; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having bee ...

''; 1884) and ''Chatterton'' (1884). He then wrote ''Claudian'' with William Gorman Wills (1884), and ''The Golden Band'' (1887) with Freeman Wills. He also wrote: ''For Old Virginia'' (1891); ''Eagle Joe'' (1892); and ''Fay o' Fire'' (1885), a romantic opera, for which Edward Jones composed the music. Between 1887 and 1891 he wrote several novels in collaboration with

David Christie Murray David Christie Murray (13 April 1847 – 1 August 1907) was an English journalist, who also wrote fiction. Life Murray was born in a home at High Street, West Bromwich, Staffordshire, one of six sons and five daughters of William Murray and Ma ...

, such as: ''One Traveler Returns'' (1887); ''A Dangerous Catspaw'' (1889); ''The Bishops' Bible'' (1890); ''He Fell Among Thieves'' (1890); and ''Paul Jones's Alias'' (1891). He also wrote alone a large number of novels. On 24 September 1894, he died at

Gunnersbury Gunnersbury is an area of West London, England. Toponymy The name "Gunnersbury" means "Manor house of a woman called Gunnhildr", and is from an old Scandinavian personal name + Middle English -''bury'', manor or manor house. Development Gunne ...

. He was buried at

Kensal Green cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, Henry 1832 births 1894 deaths English dramatists and playwrights Confederate States Army soldiers English male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists Foreign Confederate military personnel 19th-century English novelists 19th-century British dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English male writers