William Black

Rottingdean

 

The setting sun at Rottingdean falls on the grave of William Black, the novelist almost unknown to this generation. He was so popular as a novelist in the eighteen-seventies that some of his novels were published in parts, like those of Dickens and George Eliot. Born in Glagsow in 1841, he first studied art but changed to journalism and fiction, bringing art with him.

By the time he was 24 he was in London on the Morning Star, from which he passed later to the Daily News, writing stories at first that were not read. But he caught attention with his novels 'Kilmeny' and 'In Silk Attire', and in 1871 had a deserved success with 'A Daughter of Heth', which established his position as a best-seller. From then onward, for half a generation, he was widely read.

After retiring from journalism he lived at Brighton and travelled, by road and yacht, through the scenes pictured in his stories. Distinctively he was a scenic novelist. In some of his stories the artistic pictures of the surroundings vied with the interest of the human drama.

His best work had a Scottish flavour. The collected edition of his books runs to 26 volumes. Those which centre on a feminine character delicately sketched, such as 'A Daughter of Heth', 'A Princess of Thule', and 'Madcap Violet', ought to retain the charm they had when they were first read.

William Black died in 1898. His writings were a distinct asset to his native land. They pictured it through a sensitive temperament.

 

 

 

 

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