Shiel, M.P.

(1865-1947)

   Matthew Phipps Shiel was a British author who produced several popular novels and memorable short stories.  Like many of his British contemporaries, he had a predilection toward strange and fantastic subject-matter.  The chief influence of his early years was Edgar Allan Poe.  Toward the middle of his career, Shiel changed his style, and began writing more succinctly. This later style suits him better.  His novel The Purple Cloud (1901) is a science fiction classic about a man who becomes sole survivor of a plague that wipes out mankind.  The detective yarns included in the volume The Pale Ape (1911) are masterpieces of Edwardian story-telling. Unfortunately, most of Shiel's works have fallen by the wayside.  His constant display of obscure erudition, as well as too-abundant use of foreign words and phrases, create a barrier between Shiel and the modern reader.  Notwithstanding, he is one of the great masters of the English language.  His works maintain an odd appeal that the years cannot efface.

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Bibliography:

10709 Prince Zaleski [s|1895]
The Rajah's Sapphire (w W T STEAD) [f|1896]
Shapes In The Fire [f|1896]
The Yellow Danger [s|1898]
Contraband Of War [f|1899/1914]
Cold Steel [1899/1929]
The Man Stealers [f|1900/1927]
6993 The Lord Of The Sea [f|1901/1924]
11229 The Purple Cloud [f|1901/1929]
The Weird O' It [f|1902]
Unto The Third Generation [f|1903]
The Evil That Men Do [f|1904]
The Yellow Wave [f|1905]
The Lost Viol [f|1905]
The Last Miracle [f|1906/1929]
The White Wedding [f|1908]
The Isle Of Lies [f|1909]
The Knot Of Life [f|1909]
# The Pale Ape.. [s|1911]
The Dragon (aka: The Yellow Peril) [f|1913/1929]
Children Of The Wind [1923]
How The Old Woman Got Home [s|1927]
Here Comes The Lady [s|1928]
Dr Krasinski's Secret [f|1929]
The Black Box [f|1930]
Say Au R'voir But Not Goodbye [f|1933]
This Above All (aka: Above All Else) [f|1933]
The Invisible Voices (w John GAWSWORTH) [s|1935]
Richard's Shilling Selections From Edwardian Poets - M P Shiel [p] [1936]
The Young Men Are Coming [1937]
The Best (Short) Stories Of M P Shiel (ed John GAWSWORTH) [s|1948]
Science, Life, And Literature [n|1950]
The New King [f] [1980/ written in 1946]

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Web Resources:

J.D.S. Books - By and About M.P. Shiel

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