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Haggard, H. Rider (Henry Rider), 1856-1925We have 58 books for this author.
Sir Henry Rider Haggard KBE (June 22, 1856 – May 14, 1925), born in Norfolk, England, was a Victorian writer of adventure novels set in locations considered exotic by readers in his native England. BiographyHenry Rider Haggard was born at Bradenham, Norfolk, to Sir William Meybohm Rider Haggard, a barrister, and Ella Doveton, an author and poet. He was the eighth of ten children. He was initially sent to Garsington Rectory in Oxfordshire to study under the Reverend H.J. Graham but, unlike his older brothers who graduated from various Public Schools, he ended up attending Ipswich Grammar School[1]. This was because his father, who regarded him as somebody who was not going to amount to much, could no longer afford to maintain his expensive private education. After failing his army entrance exam he was sent to a private ‘crammer’ in London to prepare for the entrance exam for the British Foreign Office[1], which in the end he never sat. Instead Haggard’s father sent him to Africa in an unpaid position as assistant to the secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, Sir Henry Bulwer. It was in this role that Haggard was present in Pretoria for the official announcement of the British annexation of the Boer Republic of the Transvaal. In fact, Haggard raised the Union Flag and was forced to read out much of the proclamation following the loss of voice of the official originally entrusted with the duty. As a young man, Haggard fell deeply in love with Lilith Jackson, whom he intended to marry once he obtained paid employment in South Africa. In 1878 he became Registrar of the High Court in the Transvaal, but when he sent his father a letter telling him that he intended to return to England in order to marry Lilith Jackson his father replied that he forbade it until he had made a career for himself. In 1879 he heard that Lilith had married someone else. When he eventually returned to England he married a friend of his sister, Mariana Louisa Margitson and brought her back to Africa. Later they had a son named Jock (who died of measles at the age of 10) and three daughters, Angela, Dorothy and the youngest, Lilias, who became an author. She edited The Rabbit Skin Cap, and more importantly, wrote a biography of her father entitled The Cloak That I Left. Returning again to England in 1882, the couple settled in Ditchingham, Norfolk. Later he lived in Kessingland and had connections with the church in Bungay, Suffolk. He turned to the study of law and was called to the bar in 1884. His practice of law was somewhat desultory, and much of his time was taken up by the writing of novels. Heavily influenced by the larger-than-life adventurers he met in Colonial Africa, most notably Frederick Selous and Frederick Russell Burnham, the great mineral wealth discovered in Africa, and the ruins of ancient lost civilizations in Africa such as Great Zimbabwe, Haggard created his Allan Quatermain adventures.[2][3] Three of his books, The Wizard (1896), Elissa; the doom of Zimbabwe (1899), and Black Heart and White Heart; a Zulu idyll (1900) are dedicated to Burnham's daughter, Nada, the first white child born in Bulawayo, herself named after Haggard's 1892 book: Nada the Lily.[4] Years later, when Haggard was a successful novelist, he was contacted by his former love, Lilith Jackson. She had been deserted by her husband, who had left her penniless and infected her with syphilis, from which she eventually died. It was Haggard who paid her medical bills. These details were not generally known until the publication of Haggard's 1983 biography by D. S. Higgins. Haggard was heavily involved in agricultural reform and was a member of many Commissions on land use and related affairs, work that involved several trips to the Colonies and Dominions. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1912, and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919. He stood unsuccessfully for parliament as a candidate for the Conservative Party. Writing careerWhile his novels contain many of the attitudes common to British colonialism, they are unusual for the degree of sympathy with which he often treats the native populations. Africans often serve heroic roles in his novels, though the protagonists are typically, though not invariably, European. A notable example is Ignosi, the rightful king of Kukuanaland in King Solomon's Mines. Having developed an intense mutual friendship with the three Englishmen who help him reclaim his throne, he accepts their advice and abolishes witch hunts and arbitrary capital punishment. Haggard is most famous as the author of the best-selling novel King Solomon's Mines, as well as many others such as She, Ayesha (sequel to She), Allan Quatermain (sequel to King Solomon's Mines), and the epic Viking romance, Eric Brighteyes. Though Haggard is no longer as popular as he was when his works appeared, his books are still read with enjoyment today. Moreover, Ayesha, the female protagonist of She, has been cited as a prototype by both Sigmund Freud in The Interpretation of Dreams and by Carl Jung. Allan Quatermain, the hero of King Solomon's Mines and its sequel Allan Quatermain have influenced the American film character Indiana Jones, featured in the films Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Haggard's Lost World genre influenced the popular American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs. Quatermain has gained popularity thanks to being a main character in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Haggard also wrote about agricultural and social issues reform, in part inspired by his experiences in Africa, but also based on what he saw in Europe. Chronology of works
Publication dates unknown
Allan Quatermain series
Ayesha Series
See also
References
External links
This biographical information was gathered from the H_Rider_Haggard page, courtesy of the Wikipedia project. BooksAllan QuatermainAllan Quatermain (Audio Book, human-read) Allan and the Holy Flower Allan's Wife The Ancient Allan As Minas de Salomão Ayesha, the Return of She Beatrice Benita, an African romance Black Heart and White Heart The Brethren Cetywayo and his White Neighbours Remarks on Recent Events in Zululand, Natal, and the Transvaal Child of Storm Cleopatra Colonel Quaritch, V.C. A Tale of Country Life Dawn Doctor Therne Elissa Eric Brighteyes Fair Margaret Finished The Ghost Kings Hunter Quatermain's Story The Ivory Child Jess King Solomon's Mines (Audio Book, human-read) King Solomon's Mines The Lady of Blossholme Long Odds Long Odds Love Eternal Lysbeth, a Tale of the Dutch The Mahatma and the Hare Maiwa's Revenge Marie Montezuma's Daughter Moon of Israel Morning Star Mr. Meeson's Will Nada the Lily Pearl-Maiden The People of the Mist Queen Sheba's Ring Red Eve Regeneration She She and Allan Smith and the Pharaohs, and other Tales Stella Fregelius Stories by English Authors: Africa (Selected by Scribners) Swallow: a tale of the great trek The Tale of Three Lions The Virgin of the Sun The Wanderer's Necklace When the World Shook; being an account of the great adventure of Bastin, Bickley and Arbuthnot The Wizard The World's Desire A Yellow God: an Idol of Africa |
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Norfolk, England
