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I Say No & Little Novels
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist, playwright and short story writer best known for The Woman in White and The Moonstone. The last has been called the first modern English detective novel.
804 pages, Hardcover
Published January 14, 2020
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About the author
Wilkie Collins
2,377 books2,943 followersWilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright, best known for The Woman in White (1860), an early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), a pioneering work of detective fiction. Born to landscape painter William Collins and Harriet Geddes, he spent part of his childhood in Italy and France, learning both languages. Initially working as a tea merchant, he later studied law, though he never practiced. His literary career began with Antonina (1850), and a meeting with Charles Dickens in 1851 proved pivotal. The two became close friends and collaborators, with Collins contributing to Dickens' journals and co-writing dramatic works.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 7, 2024
Another feuilleton from our Collins, who again spares no interlocks, surprises, improbable coincidences and swoons, all peppered with pseudo-impossible loves. Entertaining as ever, except that as usual the women come off badly....
Un altro feuilleton dal nostro Collins, che anche stavolta non risparmia incastri, sorprese, coincidenze improbabili e svenimenti, il tutto condito da amori pseudo impossibili. Divertente come sempre, se non fosse che come al solito le donne ne escono malissimo...
Un altro feuilleton dal nostro Collins, che anche stavolta non risparmia incastri, sorprese, coincidenze improbabili e svenimenti, il tutto condito da amori pseudo impossibili. Divertente come sempre, se non fosse che come al solito le donne ne escono malissimo...
Displaying 1 of 1 review