Who was Wilkie Collins?
Novelist.
Date and Place of Birth:
8th January 1824, London, England. (Christened
William Collins).
Family Background:
Eldest son of William Collins R. A. (Royal Academy)
the famous landscape painter.
Education:
Private boarding school in Highbury, London.
ChronologyBiography of Wilkie Collins:
1836: Travelled
on a tour of Italy with his parents where he continued his education.
1839: Returned to
London and worked as a business man.
1843: Was called
to the bar as a barrister but spent much of his spare time devoting
himself to literature.
1848: Completed
his first work, which was a biography of his father the painter.
1850: Completes
his first work of fiction "Antonina" which concerns the
fall of ancient Rome.
1852: He next turned
his attentions to crime and suspense writing and published "Basil"
which was one of the first full length detective stories to be seen
in England.
1860: Enters his
most successful period when "The Woman in White is published
to much acclaim.
1870's: Now in poor
health and addicted to opium, which was a universal painkiller in
those days, his work began to suffer in quality. The books often
took the social issues of the day as their main theme but did not
strike a chord with the reading public.
Written Works:
- 1850: "Antonina"
- 1852:
"Basil"
- 1860:
"The Woman in White".
- 1862: "No
Name"
- 1866:
"Armadale".
- 1868:
"The Moonstone".
- 1870:
"Man and Wife".
- 1873: "The
New Magdalen".
Marriage:
Never married but lived with Caroline Graves
for 30 years from 1858, at 33 Bolsover Street, London. Also had
three children with Martha Rudd who lived nearby, whom he knew after
1868.
Places of Interest:
LONDON:
Bolsover Street
The British Library
Date and Place of Death:
23rd September 1889, London, England.
Age at Death:
64.
Site of Grave:
Kensal Green Cemetery, Kensal Green, London,
England.
Further Information:
Wilkie Collins Society
c/o Andrew Gasson
3 Merton House
36 Belsize Park
NW3 46A
