Vignettes and Sketches

by Hubert Crackanthorpe, Rebecca Gransden (Editor)

While not as well known as his contemporary “Men of the Nineties” Hubert Crackanthorpe deserves equal attention. Associated with the decadent movement, he published accomplished fiction in the realist style. His stories often featured those on the fringes of society and focused on the grittier aspects of life. Included in this volume are Crackanthorpe’s travel vignettes, arguably his finest literary achievement, alongside a selection of his short sketches. Crackanthorpe died at the early age of twenty six and the modest collection of writings he left us stand not only as a sign of his potential but as significant works in their own right.

Additional material includes commentary on Crackanthorpe by Henry James, Lionel Johnson and John McFarland Kennedy, as well as a poem written in tribute by Stopford A. Brooke.

142 pages, Hardcover

Published August 8, 2023

About the author

Hubert Montague Crackanthorpe (d. 1896) was a Victorian British writer who created works mainly in the genres of the essay, short story, and novella. He also wrote limited amounts of literary criticism. After dying early and under mysterious circumstances, his name is now little known and has all but vanished from conventional literary biographies of the period. Crackanthorpe is usually associated with the literary movement of naturalism. His literary legacy consists largely of three volumes of short stories he managed to publish during his lifetime; contemporary opinions of his talent as a writer varied widely, though one of his works was published with an appreciation by none other than Henry James.