Robert Murray Gilchrist
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Robert Murray Gilchrist (6 January 1867 – 1917) was an English novelist and author of regional interest books about the
Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It includes the Dark Peak, where moorla ...
of north central England. He is best known today for his decadent and Gothic short fiction. During his lifetime he published some 100 short stories, 22 novels, six-story collections, and four non-fiction books.


Life

Gilchrist was born in Sheffield, England, the second son of Robert Murray Gilchrist and Isabella. He was educated at
Sheffield Royal Grammar School Sheffield Grammar School began in 1604 as "The Free Grammar School of James King of England within the Town of Sheffield in the County of York" in buildings in the Townhead area of Sheffield, resulting from the benefaction of John Smith of Crowl ...
and later privately. He never married. He worked briefly for noted editor
William Ernest Henley William Ernest Henley (23 August 184911 July 1903) was an English poet, writer, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, the o ...
(1849–1903) at '' National Observer'' (formerly ''The Scots Observer''). He lived for much of his life in the North Derbyshire village of Holmesfield, living with his mother and a male companion at Cartledge Hall. From 1893 to 1897, he lived in a remote part of the Peak District and some sources say he lived a few months in Paris, France. He began his writing career during 1890 with the publication of his first novel, ''Passion The Plaything''. He contributed short stories to many periodicals, including ''The Temple Bar'', ''
Home Chimes ''Home Chimes'' was a London magazine published between 1884 and 1894 by Richard Willoughby, and edited by F. W. Robinson.The Yellow Book''. A productive writer, he published 22 novels, six short story collections, four regional interest books and one play (posthumously). During World War I, he was noted for his charitable assistance to Belgian refugees, many of whom attended his funeral during 1917.


Literary Work

As an English novelist and regional writer, Robert Murray Gilchrist never achieved the recognition his colleagues and many critics thought he deserved. His friend, Eden Phillpotts wrote that "no record or estimate of the ''conte'' in English letters can be complete without study of his contributions thereto." He dedicated his story collection, ''The Striking Hours'', to Gilchrist, terming him "the master of the short story." Gilchrist's first story collection failed to draw much attention, and while he occasionally published short stories all of his life, including one, "The Crimson Weaver" in the celebrated magazine, ''The Yellow Book'', the bulk of his output was his twenty-two novels, in addition to his six short story collections, a play and four regional guide books. He was friends with many noted writers including Phillpotts, William Sharp (
Fiona MacLeod William Sharp (12 September 1855 – 12 December 1905) was a Scottish writer, of poetry and literary biography in particular, who from 1893 wrote also as Fiona Macleod, a pseudonym kept almost secret during his lifetime. He was also an editor ...
) and
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 ...
. He worked for noted editor and writer,
William Ernest Henley William Ernest Henley (23 August 184911 July 1903) was an English poet, writer, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, the o ...
, and he corresponded with Larner Sugden,
Kineton Parkes William Kineton Parkes (1865–1938) was an English novelist, art historian and librarian, known best for his publication concerning sculpture and his 1914 modernist novel ''Hardware: A Novel in Four Books''. Parkes was born in Aston, Birmingham ...
and occasionally H.G. Wells. Like his better-known contemporary,
Vernon Lee Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of the British writer Violet Paget (14 October 1856 – 13 February 1935). She is remembered today primarily for her supernatural fiction and her work on aesthetics. An early follower of Walter Pater, she wrote o ...
, Gilchrist's modern literary revival started with less than two dozen strange tales. Virtually forgotten until horror anthologist Hugh Lamb reprinted his stories during the 1970s, his work includes fin-de-siècle
Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of e ...
, similar in many ways to the fiction of
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker,
Vernon Lee Vernon Lee was the pseudonym of the British writer Violet Paget (14 October 1856 – 13 February 1935). She is remembered today primarily for her supernatural fiction and her work on aesthetics. An early follower of Walter Pater, she wrote o ...
,
Arthur Machen Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His ...
,
Eric Stenbock Count Eric Stanislaus (or Stanislaus Eric) Stenbock ( at Thirlestaine Hall ( Cheltenham) – at Withdeane Hall in Brighton) was a Baltic Swedish poet and writer of macabre fantastic fiction. Life Stenbock was the count of Bogesund and the h ...
and Richard Marsh.Sullivan, Jack, ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of horror and the supernatural'' New York, N.Y., U.S.A. : Viking, 1986. (p. 171). Gilchrist's first short story collection, ''The Stone Dragon and Other Tragic Romances'' (1894) was a collection of weird and
Decadent The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members of ...
stories. ''The Stone Dragon and Other Tragic Romances'' failed to sell well, and while he occasionally published short stories all his life, the bulk of his output was a score of novels, two plays and two travel guide books. His modern revival began during the mid-1970s when Hugh Lamb started a crusade to renew interest in the Sheffield writer. Lamb successively published five of his Gothic tales in his series of nineteenth century horror anthologies. Lamb argued that Gilchrist was "an unrecognised master of the macabre story" and that ''The Stone Dragon and Other Tragic Romances'' was "a book of the most remarkable and subtle fiction ever published". Jack Sullivan in '' The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural'' described Gilchrist as "a neglected master of horror who deserves revival". Michele Slung, introducing Gilchrist's story "The Basilisk", claimed that "this lush piece of nineteenth century prose has an almost operatic quality" and that the story contained "layers of even more suggestive meaning".Slung, Michele. ''I Shudder at your Touch : 22 Tales of Sex and Horror''. New York : ROC, 1991.
Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...
selected three of his tales for The ''Dedalus Book of Decadence: Moral Ruins'' (1992). During 1998, the Charon Press reprinted the rare story collection, ''The Stone Dragon'', followed by the larger
Ash Tree Press Ash-Tree Press is a Canadian company that publishes supernatural and horror literature. The press has reprinted notable collections of ghostly stories by such writers as R. H. Malden, A. N. L. Munby, L. T. C. Rolt, Margery Lawrence, and El ...
collection, ''The Basilisk and Other Tales of Dread'' during 2003. During the early part of this century, two articles about Gilchrist appeared in ''All Hallows'', the Canadian-based journal of the
Ghost Story Society The Ghost Story Society was a not-for-profit literary society whose members shared an interest in supernatural fiction. Founded in Britain in 1988 by Rosemary Pardoe, Jeffrey Dempsey, David Cowperthwaite and Mark Valentine, it had an international ...
. His regional interest book, ''The Dukeries'', was reprinted during 2001 and 2009. ''I Am Stone: The Gothic Weird Tales of R Murray Gilchrist'', which includes three tales not previously printed in modern editions, was published in 2021 as part of the
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
's Tales of the Weird series.


Bibliography


Novels

* ''Passion the Plaything: A Novel''. London: William Heinemann, 1890. * ''Frangipanni: A Novel''. London: The Regent Library, 1893. * ''Hercules and the Marionettes: A Story''. London: Bliss, Sands and Company, 1894. * ''The Rue Bargain: A Story''. London: Grant Richards, 1898. * ''Willowbrake: A Novel''. London: Methuen, 1898. * ''The Courtesy Dame: A Novel''. London: William Heinemann, 1900. * ''The Labyrinth: A Romance''. London: Grant Richards, 1902. * ''Beggar's Manor''. London: William Heinemann, 1903. * ''The Abbey Mystery: A Novel''. London: Ward, Lock & Co., 1908. * ''The Gentle Thespians''. London: J. Milne, 1908. * ''The Two Goodwins''. London: John Milne, 1908. * ''Pretty Fanny's Way''. London: Everett and Company, 1909. * ''The First Born''. London: T Werner Laurie, 1911. * ''Willowford Woods''. London: Ward, Lock and Company, 1911. * ''Damosel Croft: A Novel''. London: Stanley Paul and Company, 1912. * ''The Secret Tontine''. London: John Long, 1912. * ''The Roadknight: A Novel''. London: Holden & Hardingham, 1913. * ''Weird Wedlock''. London: John Long, 1913. * ''The Chase: A Story''. London: F.V. White and Co., 1914. * ''Under Cover of Night''. London: John Long, 1914. * ''Honeysuckle Rogue: A Novel''. London: W. Westall, 1917. * ''The House of Bats: a Novel''. (unpublished manuscript in the Sheffield Archives) * ''Belgian Cottage''. (unpublished typescript in the Sheffield Archives)


Story Collections

* ''The Stone Dragon and Other Tragic Romances''. London: Garland, 1894. * ''A Peakland Faggot: Tales told of Milton folk''. London: Grant Richards, 1897. * ''Nicholas and Mary and Other Milton Folk''. London: Grant Richards, 1899. * ''Natives of Milton: Tales''. London: Grant Richards, 1902. * ''Lords and Ladies: Stories''. London: Hurst and Blackett, 1903. * ''Good-bye to Market: A Collection of Stories''. London: Simpkin, Marshal Kent and Company, 1908. * ''A Peakland Faggot''. London: Faber and Gwyer, 1926. ompendium of 1897, 1899 and 1902 collections


Plays

* ''The Climax: Repertory Plays No. 67''. London: Gowan and Gray, 1928.


Nonfiction

* ''The Dukeries. London: Blackie and Sons'', 1911. (reprinted 1913, Dodo Press 2009). * ''The Peak District''. London: Blackie and Sons, 1911. * ''Ripon and Harrowgate''. London: Blackie and Sons, 1914. * ''Scarborough and Neighbourhood''. London: Blackie and Sons, 1914.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilchrist, Robert Murray 1868 births 1917 deaths English short story writers English horror writers Ghost story writers Weird fiction writers People educated at Sheffield Grammar School People from North East Derbyshire District