Robert Williams Buchanan (18 August 1841 – 10 June 1901) was a Scottish poet, novelist and dramatist.

Early life and education

He was the son of Robert Buchanan (1813–1866),

Owenite Owenism is the utopian socialist philosophy of 19th-century social reformer Robert Owen and his followers and successors, who are known as Owenites. Owenism aimed for radical reform of society and is considered a forerunner of the cooperative ...

lecturer and journalist, and was born at Caverswall, Staffordshire, England. Buchanan senior, a native of

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...

, Scotland, lived for some years in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, then moved to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, where Buchanan junior was educated, at the high school and the university, one of his fellow-students being the poet David Gray. His essay on Gray, originally published in the ''

Cornhill Magazine ''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictiona ...

'', tells the story of their close friendship, and of their journey to London in 1860 in search of fame. His friend, Scottish-American poet

James Mackintosh Kennedy James Mackintosh Kennedy (November 3, 1848 – August 14, 1922) was a Scottish-American poet, editor, and engineer. Early life and education in Scotland James was born on Carsegownie Farm, Aberlemno, Forfarshire (now Angus), in Scotland. He ...

, wrote in ''Scottish and American Poems'': "Robert Buchanan, the well-known British poet and most genial and variously gifted man, visited America in 1884-85." He wrote two poems about Buchanan: "Lament" on his departure, and "Robert Buchanan" upon his death. Kennedy's son, born in 1885, was named Robert Buchanan Kennedy.

Writings

Buchanan's first published works were books of poetry written while he was still living in Glasgow. He appears to have disowned them later in life as they fail to appear in any bibliographic references. His first book was ''Poems and Love Lyrics'' which although undated was probably published in 1857. It was reviewed in the ''

Athenaeum Athenaeum may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798 * ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921 * ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...

'' in December 1857. Although the review date is not conclusive the date is almost certainly 1857 or 1858 for the following reasons. (1) The author's second book ''Mary and other Poems'' is by the 'Author of Lyrics'. This book is dated 1859 and signed Robt W Buchanan in the preface; (2) The preface to 'Mary' states that this is the author's second published book; (3) The preface indicates that the writer is still a young man; (4) The dedication to Hugh Macdonald suggests he was alive when it was written. Macdonald, a well-known Glaswegian, died in 1860. Buchanan's second book ''Mary and other Poems'' was published in 1859 and has never been mentioned in any bibliographies. The book is extremely rare and the only copies appear to be in the Mitchell library in Glasgow. Buchanan also published a collection of short stories and poems, written in collaboration with

Charles Gibbon Charles Gibbon (1843–1890) was a British novelist specialising in popular romances.''XIX Century Fiction'', Part I, A–K (Jarndyce, Bloomsbury, 2019). Life Gibbon was born in the Isle of Man, and moved with his parents to Glasgow at an early ...

, entitled ''Storm-beaten, or Christmas Eve at the "Old Anchor" Inn'' in 1862, before ''Undertones'', which is often cited as Buchanan's first book. After a period of struggle and disappointment Buchanan published ''Undertones'' in 1863. This tentative volume had some success, and was followed by ''Idyls and Legends of Inverburn'' (1865), ''London Poems'' (1866), and ''North Coast and other Poems'' (1868), wherein he displayed a faculty for poetic narrative, and a sympathetic insight into the humbler conditions of life. Buchanan showed more ambition in ''The Book of Orm: A Prelude to the Epic'', a study in

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

, which appeared in 1870. His works gave him a growing reputation, and raised high hopes of his future. Thereafter he would take up prose fiction and the drama, not always with success. He was a frequent contributor to periodicals, and obtained notoriety as a result of an article which, under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Thomas Maitland, he contributed to ''

The Contemporary Review ''The Contemporary Review'' is a British biannual, formerly quarterly, magazine. It has an uncertain future as of 2013. History The magazine was established in 1866 by Alexander Strahan and a group of intellectuals anxious to promote intellig ...

'' for October 1871. Entitled ''The Fleshly School of Poetry'', this article was expanded into a pamphlet (1872), but he subsequently withdrew from the criticisms it contained, and it is chiefly remembered by the replies it evoked from

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...

in a letter to the ''

'' (16 December 1871), entitled "The Stealthy School of Criticism", and from

Algernon Charles Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as ''Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition ...

in ''Under the Microscope'' (1872). Buchanan afterwards regretted the violence of his attack, and the old enemy to whom ''God and the Man'' is dedicated was Rossetti. In 1876 ''The Shadow of the Sword'', the first and one of the best of a long series of novels, was published. Buchanan was also the author of many successful plays, including ''Lady Clare'', produced in 1883, ''Sophia'' (1886), an adaptation of ''Tom Jones; A Man's Shadow'' (1890), and ''The Charlatan'' (1894). He also wrote, in collaboration with

Harriett Jay Harriett Jay (2 September 1853 – 21 December 1932) was a British writer and playwright who often wrote under the pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which diff ...

, the melodrama ''Alone in London'' (in which actress

Cora Tanner Cora Tanner (c. 1861–1945) was an American stage actress who was most popular in the mid-1880s through her retirement from the stage in 1902. Biography Tanner was born in Cleveland, Ohio around 1861. She first appeared on stage at McVicker's T ...

starred). His latest poems, ''The Outcast: a Rhyme for the Time'' (1891) and ''The Wandering Jew'' (1893) were directed against certain aspects of Christianity. In 1896 he became, so far as some of his work was concerned, his own publisher. He was unfortunate in his latter years; a speculation turned out ruinously, and he had to sell his copyrights. In November 1894 he campaigned very publicly for the release of murderer and bigamist James Canham Read, known as the Southend Murderer. His campaign was unsuccessful and Read was hanged on 4 December. In the autumn of 1900 he had a paralytic seizure, from which he never recovered. He died at

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

. He is buried in a family grave in the cemetery of St. John the Baptist Church,

Southend on Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, where there is a memorial to him. Buchanan's poems were collected into three volumes in 1874, into one volume in 1884; and as ''Complete Poetical Works'' (2 vols., 1901). Among his poems should also be mentioned: *''The Drama of Kings'' (1871) *''St Abe and his Seven Wives'', a lively tale of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, Utah, published anonymously in 1872 *''Balder the Beautiful'' (1877) *''The City of Dream'' (1888) His earlier novels, ''The Shadow of the Sword'', and ''God and the Man'' (1881), a striking tale of a family feud, are distinguished by a certain breadth and simplicity of treatment which is not so noticeable in their successors, among which may be mentioned: *''The Martyrdom of Madeline'' (1882) *''Foxglove Manor'' (1885) *''Effie Hetherington'' (1896) *''Matt: A Story of A Caravan'' (1897) *''Father Anthony'' (1898)In November *''Lady Kilpatrick'' (1898) *''David Gray and other Essays, chiefly on Poetry'' (1868) *''Master Spirits'' (1873) *''A Poet's Sketch Book'' (1883), in which the interesting essay on Gray is reprinted *''A Look round Literature'' (1887), and the previous volume contain Buchanan's chief contributions to periodical literature *''The Land of Lorne'' (2 vols., 1871), a vivid record of yachting experiences on the west coast of Scotland. *''The Master of the Mine'' (1885), originally serialised by 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 ...

'' in 1867.

Selected articles

* (1872). "Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson," ''The Contemporary Review'' 21, pp. 45–62. * (1876). "Æschylus and Victor Hugo," ''The New Quarterly Magazine'' 5, pp. 263–301. * (1876). "Lucretius and Modern Materialism," ''The New Quarterly Magazine'' 6, pp. 1–31. * (1885). "Free Thought in America," ''The North American Review'', No. 341, pp. 316–327. * (1889). "The Modern Young Man as a Critic," ''The Universal Review'' 3, pp. 353–372.

Publication in other languages

* ''God and the Man'' was translated into German by Peter M. Richter as "Christian" (Engelsdorfer Verlag Leipzig, 2007).

Adaptations

''Meg Blane: A Rhapsody of the Sea'', a cantata for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and orchestra by

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 18751 September 1912) was a British composer and conductor. Of mixed-race birth, Coleridge-Taylor achieved such success that he was referred to by white New York musicians as the "African Mahler" when ...

, is based on a poem by Buchanan; it was completed in 1902 and premiered to great acclaim that October in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. Another Buchanan poem "Fra Giacomo" served as the text for a dramatic monologue for baritone and orchestra by

Cecil Coles Cecil Frederick Coles (7 October 1888 – 26 April 1918) was a Scottish composer who was killed on active service in World War I. Life and career Coles was born in Tongland, near Kirkcudbright, to Frederick Coles and Margaret Coles (née Bla ...

, completed in 1914.

References

External links

A complete bibliography
* * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Robert Williams 1841 births 1901 deaths Scottish male poets Scottish male novelists Victorian poets 19th-century Scottish novelists 19th-century Scottish poets 19th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights British male dramatists and playwrights People from Caverswall Alumni of the University of Glasgow 19th-century male writers