Robert Williams Buchanan

Andrew Nash (University of Reading)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

Born 18 Aug 1841
Died Jun 1901
Activity 1862-1896

Places

Born in England
Active in England; Ireland, Republic of (Eire); Scotland; Denmark

Activities

Primary

Editor
Essayist
Novelist
Playwright / Dramatist
Poet
Publisher
Theatre Producer

Other

Theatre actor

Resources

Buchanan's Works

Save to Bookshelf

Robert Buchanan was born in Caverswall in Staffordshire on 18 August 1841. His family moved to Glasgow in 1850 where Buchanan was educated at the High School and the University. His father was a socialist and atheist, and an outspoken editor of various Glasgow newspapers. Derided in his childhood as the son of an infidel, Buchanan's life and work were beset by religious questioning. He was torn between the agnosticism of his heritage and the spiritualism towards which he was inevitably drawn in the search for a replacement for the discredited orthodoxies of Christianity.

At University Buchanan became interested in the theatre and sent samples of his poetry to eminent figures in London, receiving some tempered encouragement from G. H. Lewes. After his father was declared bankrupt in 1859

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1436 words

Citation: Nash, Andrew. "Robert Williams Buchanan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 November 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=627, accessed 25 November 2024.]