George Douglas Brown
Encyclopedia
George Douglas Brown was a Scottish
novelist, best known for his highly influential realist
novel The House with the Green Shutters
(1901), which was published the year before his death at the age of 33.
, Coylton
, and Ayr
, his academic performance allowing him to study Classics at the University of Glasgow
and at Balliol College, Oxford
. However his studies were interrupted by the illness of his mother; he returned to Ayrshire
to nurse her, but she died, and in 1895 he barely passed his final examinations. He travelled to London
and worked as a journalist, contributing articles and stories to Blackwood's Magazine
, as well as a part-time editor and reader for publishing houses. At one point he was a staff writer for Sandow's Magazine of Physical Culture
. In 1899 he published Love and a Sword under the pseudonym
Kennedy King, the same pseudonym he used for his articles. The next year he started work at Haslemere
on The House with the Green Shutters, which was published in 1901 under the pseudonym George Douglas. The book was a success, and he planned a second novel to be called The Incompatibles, but shortly afterwards he contracted pneumonia
and died at the home of his friend and publisher Andrew Melrose.
The novel gives a strongly outlined picture of the harder and less genial aspects of Scottish life and character, and was regarded as a useful corrective to the more roseate presentations of the kailyard school
of J. M. Barrie
and Ian Maclaren
. Reprinted frequently throughout the twentieth century, it was most recently re-issued by Birlinn
of Edinburgh
. An annual event in Brown's memory, The Green Shutters Festival of Working Class Writing, is held in Ochiltree
, the town believed to be the model for the village of Barbie.
In December 2004, the house in which he was born was gutted by fire.
As of August 2007, the house in which he was born in Ochiltree has been re-opened as "The Green Shutters Pub". A memorial plaque is allocated on the outside wall.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
novelist, best known for his highly influential realist
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
novel The House with the Green Shutters
The House with the Green Shutters
The House with the Green Shutters is a novel by the Scottish writer George Douglas Brown, first published in 1901 by John MacQueen. Set in mid-19th century Ayrshire, in the fictitious town of Barbie which is based on his native Ochiltree, it consciously violates the conventions of the sentimental...
(1901), which was published the year before his death at the age of 33.
Life and work
Brown was the illegitimate son of a farmer and a woman of Irish descent. He went to school at OchiltreeOchiltree
Ochiltree, spelt Uchletree in the Middle Ages, is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland near Auchinleck and Cumnock. It is one of the oldest villages in East Ayrshire with archaeological remains indicating Stone Age and Bronze Age settlers....
, Coylton
Coylton
Coylton is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located east of Ayr, and west of Drongan, on the A70. Sundrum Castle Holiday Park is located to the west of the village, in the grounds of Sundrum Castle, which partly dates to the 13th century...
, and Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
, his academic performance allowing him to study Classics at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
and at Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. However his studies were interrupted by the illness of his mother; he returned to Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
to nurse her, but she died, and in 1895 he barely passed his final examinations. He travelled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and worked as a journalist, contributing articles and stories to Blackwood's Magazine
Blackwood's Magazine
Blackwood's Magazine was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by the publisher William Blackwood and was originally called the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine. The first number appeared in April 1817 under the editorship of Thomas Pringle and James Cleghorn...
, as well as a part-time editor and reader for publishing houses. At one point he was a staff writer for Sandow's Magazine of Physical Culture
Sandow's Magazine of Physical Culture
Sandow's Magazine of Physical Culture, established by Eugen Sandow in 1898, has been regarded as the first bodybuilding magazine.Founded in summer 1898 under the name Physical Culture, the magazine was renamed Sandow's Magazine of Physical Culture in April 1899. Howard Spicer was editor...
. In 1899 he published Love and a Sword under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Kennedy King, the same pseudonym he used for his articles. The next year he started work at Haslemere
Haslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
on The House with the Green Shutters, which was published in 1901 under the pseudonym George Douglas. The book was a success, and he planned a second novel to be called The Incompatibles, but shortly afterwards he contracted pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and died at the home of his friend and publisher Andrew Melrose.
The novel gives a strongly outlined picture of the harder and less genial aspects of Scottish life and character, and was regarded as a useful corrective to the more roseate presentations of the kailyard school
Kailyard school
The Kailyard school of Scottish fiction was developed about the 1890s as a reaction against what was seen as increasingly coarse writing representing Scottish life complete with all its blemishes. It has been considered as being an overly sentimental representation of rural life, cleansed of real...
of J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
and Ian Maclaren
Ian Maclaren
Ian Maclaren was a Scottish author and theologian.He was the son of John Watson, a civil servant...
. Reprinted frequently throughout the twentieth century, it was most recently re-issued by Birlinn
Birlinn
The birlinn was a type of boat used especially in the Hebrides and West Highlands of Scotland in the Middle Ages. The Birlinn is a Norse-Gaelic variant on the Norse longship. Variants of the name in English and Lowland Scots include "berlin" and "birling". It probably derives ultimately from the...
of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. An annual event in Brown's memory, The Green Shutters Festival of Working Class Writing, is held in Ochiltree
Ochiltree
Ochiltree, spelt Uchletree in the Middle Ages, is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland near Auchinleck and Cumnock. It is one of the oldest villages in East Ayrshire with archaeological remains indicating Stone Age and Bronze Age settlers....
, the town believed to be the model for the village of Barbie.
In December 2004, the house in which he was born was gutted by fire.
As of August 2007, the house in which he was born in Ochiltree has been re-opened as "The Green Shutters Pub". A memorial plaque is allocated on the outside wall.
External links
- Cuthbert Lennox. George Douglas Brown, author of "The house with the green shutters": a biographical memoir. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1903. http://www.archive.org/details/georgedouglasbro00lennuoft