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The Lost Tragedy
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About the author
Denis Mackail
42 books10 followersDenis George Mackail was born in Kensington, London to the writer John William Mackail and Margaret Burne-Jones, daughter of the painter Edward Burne-Jones. Educated at St Paul's School, Hammersmith, he went to Balliol College, Oxford, but failed to complete his degree through ill-health after two years.
His first work was as a set designer, notably for J.M. Barrie's The Adored One and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (1914). The outbreak of World War I interrupted this promising start, however, and Denis, not fit enough for active service, worked in the War Office and the Board of Trade.
In 1917 he married Diana Granet, only child of the railway manager Sir Guy Granet, who was a director-general for railways in the War Office. The couple had two children, Mary (born 28 March 1919) and Anne (born 12 January 1922) and lived in Chelsea, London. It was the necessity of supporting his young family that led Denis to write a novel when office jobs became insecure after the end of the war.
With his novel published, his first short-story accepted by the prestigious Strand Magazine and the services of a literary agent, A. P. Watt, Denis was soon earning enough from his writing to give up office work. He published a novel every year from 1920 to 1938 and among his literary friends were P. G. Wodehouse and A. A. Milne.
During the 1930s Mackail lived at Bishopstone House, Bishopstone near Seaford, Sussex
As therapy from a nervous breakdown, Denis agreed to write the official biography of J.M. Barrie, which appeared in 1941. He went on to produce seven more novels and some books of reminiscences, but after the early death of his wife in 1949, he published no more and lived quietly in London until his death.
His sister was the novelist Angela Thirkell.
His first work was as a set designer, notably for J.M. Barrie's The Adored One and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (1914). The outbreak of World War I interrupted this promising start, however, and Denis, not fit enough for active service, worked in the War Office and the Board of Trade.
In 1917 he married Diana Granet, only child of the railway manager Sir Guy Granet, who was a director-general for railways in the War Office. The couple had two children, Mary (born 28 March 1919) and Anne (born 12 January 1922) and lived in Chelsea, London. It was the necessity of supporting his young family that led Denis to write a novel when office jobs became insecure after the end of the war.
With his novel published, his first short-story accepted by the prestigious Strand Magazine and the services of a literary agent, A. P. Watt, Denis was soon earning enough from his writing to give up office work. He published a novel every year from 1920 to 1938 and among his literary friends were P. G. Wodehouse and A. A. Milne.
During the 1930s Mackail lived at Bishopstone House, Bishopstone near Seaford, Sussex
As therapy from a nervous breakdown, Denis agreed to write the official biography of J.M. Barrie, which appeared in 1941. He went on to produce seven more novels and some books of reminiscences, but after the early death of his wife in 1949, he published no more and lived quietly in London until his death.
His sister was the novelist Angela Thirkell.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 5, 2023
The lost tragedy in question is a lost work by William Shakespeare [The Tragedie of Alexander the Great] that our hero, Mr. Bunstable stumbles upon and has it wrested from his hands by two ghostly rivals who are intent on its destruction.
January 5, 2024
3 ⭐⭐⭐
more a humorous than spooky story, it begins a little like the TV show black books. interesting use of the lost shakespeare plays theory, but also bizarre that the protagonist doesn't immediately recognise the bard...
more a humorous than spooky story, it begins a little like the TV show black books. interesting use of the lost shakespeare plays theory, but also bizarre that the protagonist doesn't immediately recognise the bard...
March 30, 2022
Not lost enough.
August 6, 2024
Very nearly 5 stars ! First you enter the bookstore of your dreams, narrated by a most sarcastic host, and then you meet its uncanny owner. Very funny, mysterious - the employees are ghosts! - culminating in the startling discovery of a lost Shakespearian play. This last twist turns out be as hilarious as it is delicious… all wrapped up in a crime scene too! This is one of the most well-crafted, heavily layered short stories I’ve ever read. Mackail must have invested heavy-duty time writing this, and I feel so lucky to have read it. Has the rare Lovecraft knack of making you revisit parts of the story to revel in its subtlety and depths.
January 4, 2026
You tube audio podcast: Tony Walker Classic ghost stories
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews