Rudolf Wilhelm Besier (2 July 1878 – 16 June 1942) was a Dutch/English dramatist and translator best known for his play ''

The Barretts of Wimpole Street ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress Kat ...

'' (1930). He worked with

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

Hugh Walpole Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (13 March 18841 June 1941) was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among th ...

and

May Edginton May Edginton (originally Helen Marion Edginton, 20 December 1883 – 17 June 1957) was an English writer who had over 50 popular novels published in London. She also wrote plays, collaborating with Rudolf Besier on two of them.Virginia Blain, Pat ...

on dramatisations.

Early life and career

Besier was born in

Blitar Blitar is a landlocked city in East Java, Indonesia, about 73 km from Malang and 167 km from Surabaya. The area lies within longitude 111° 40' – 112° 09' East and its latitude is 8° 06' South. The city of Blitar lies at an altitude ...

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

(

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

), in 1878 as the son of an English mother, Margaret Ann Collinson, and the Dutch soldier Rudolf Wilhelm Besier, who died six months before he was born and after whom he was named. He had some limited success early in his career in England, which began with ''The Virgin Goddess'' (1906) produced by

Otho Stuart Otho Stuart (9 August 1863 – 1 May 1930) was a British actor of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who specialised in performing in the plays of Shakespeare. Stuart played the range of Shakespearean leading men, both with the Company of ...

and with music by Christopher Wilson. Then followed a series of plays, mainly dramas, but including some satires and comedies. In 1912 he collaborated with

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

Kipps ''Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul'' is a novel by H. G. Wells, first published in 1905. It was reportedly Wells's own favourite among his works, and it has been adapted for stage, cinema and television productions, including the musical ''H ...

''; he also worked with

on ''Robin's Father'' (1918). ''Secrets'' (1922) was written with

(1883–1957).The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English
/ref>

Major success

Besier's major success came with ''

'' (1930), based on

Elizabeth Barrett Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabe ...

and Robert Browning's courtship. After being rejected by two London producers, it premièred at the Malvern Festival of 1930, directed by Sir Barry Jackson. Besier failed to interest American producers, 27 of whom rejected his play, but the actress Katharine Cornell took a personal interest in it. She had it staged in Cleveland in 1931, and then in New York.Stanley Hochman, McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama
/ref> It was revived and produced in many countries, and was made into two films and a musical. Rudolf Besier died in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

in 1942, aged 63.

Selected list of works

*''The Virgin Goddess: a tragedy'' (1906) *''Don: a comedy in three acts'', 1908 (produced 1909) *''Olive Latimer's Husband'', 1909 (produced 1910) *''The Foolish Virgin'' (produced 1910-11) *''Lady Patricia: a comedy in three acts'', 1911 (produced 1912) *''

'' (1912; with

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

) *''

Secrets Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

'', 1922 (with

; produced 1922–23; filmed 1924, 1933) *''A Lesson in Love'', 1922 (prod, 1923) *''Prude's Fall'' (filmed 1924) *''

: a comedy in five acts'' (produced 1930, Malvern; 1931, Cleveland; Broadway; revived 1935, 1945; filmed 1934, 1957); the ultimate basis of the 1964 musical ''

Robert and Elizabeth ''Robert and Elizabeth'' is a musical with music by Ron Grainer and book and lyrics by Ronald Millar. The story is based on an unproduced musical titled ''The Third Kiss'' by Judge Fred G. Moritt, which in turn was adapted from the play '' The ...

'')

Sources

*
doolee.com
*

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Besier, Rudolf 1878 births 1942 deaths Dutch male dramatists and playwrights English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights English male poets People from Blitar 20th-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Dutch male writers