Essay, Biography or Paragraph on “William Black” great author complete biography for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

William Black

William Black, novelist and journalist, was born in Glasgow, Scot-land, in November 1841. In early life, he was a close student, and was most attracted by the study of botany. Black was a close ob-server of nature, and used natural objects and phenomena to good ‘ advantage in his works.

His literary career may be briefly stated as follows: His first essays in literature were some contributions to a Glasgow newspaper on Ruskin, Kingsley, and Carlyle. Then he wrote a series of sketches in imitation of Christopher North for the Weekly Citizen, the staff of which he subsequently joined, and entered thoroughly into the labours of journalism. In 1864 he went to London with a view to the advancement in his profession; two years later, he represented the Morning Star/ as correspondent during the Prusso-Austrian war. Later he became editor of the London Review, and afterwards assistant editor of the Daily News, a position he relinquished in 1875 to devote his sole time .to fiction, thus picking up the threads of a career he had dropped in 1868, when he published his first novel- Love or Marriage. He  has published the following works: In Silk Attire, 1868; A Daughter of Heth,1871; The Strange Adventures of a Phaeton, 1872; Kilmeny and  Princess of Thule,1873; The Maid of Killeena, and Three Feathers, 1875; Lady Silverdale’s Sweetheart, and Other Stories, 1876, Since 1876, he has published Madcap Violet, Green Pastures and Piccadilly, Macleod of Dare, Sunrise, Shandon Bells, and Judith Shakespeare. The last two works were published in Harper’s, in 1882-84. Considering Black’s age, the above record is an excellent one.

A little criticism upon the manner of closing one of his novels is thus related by himself: short time after the terrible news of the shooting of President Garfield reached this country, a prominent American gentleman, Mr. Carnegie, called upon me, and among other things he said: ‘Just be-before I left home I saw President Garfield. Informing him that I was coming to England, he said, “You will see Black; tell him he ought not to have made “Macleod of Dare’ end tragically—life itself is full of tragedy” This could only have been a few weeks before he was shot.”‘ Black acknowledges that Garfield’s words, together with the death that followed so soon, made a deep impression upon him. He justifies himself, however, in dealing with the phases of life from his own standpoint, and refuses to be influenced by critics.