Henry Harland: His life and work

by Karl Beckson

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Jim Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry Harland is remembered today mainly as being the editor the 1890’s magazine The Yellow Book. Under his curation, the magazine presented some of the most exciting new art (Aubrey Beardsley) and literature of the decade. One of Harland’s strengths as an editor, Beckson points out, is that he discovered and encouraged women writers, including Olive Constance, Ella D’arcy, and Charlotte Mew—all of whom are still under-rated. The magazine, printed as a bound book every quarter, lasted 3 years. It slowly faded as it got more conservative, a result of the arrest of Oscar Wilde (who never wrote for it) and the firing of Beardsley as art editor (due to his connection with Wilde). After the magazine failed, Harland went on to write best-selling romances, including The Cardinal’s Snuffbox. His novels are formulaic—set in exotic European cities, featuring aristocrats or churchmen (Harland was a Catholic convert) complete with Shakespearean love matches and happy endings. One critic called him a “Lemonade Henry James,” which sums up his work perfectly. Harland was not a great artist, but he certainly was in the middle of a very exciting time in English letters. Beckson’s biography gives a realistic view of Harland’s talent, and is an informative source for those interested in literary world of 1890's London. He turns a minor writer’s life into a fascinating look at England’s literary fin-de-siècle.