Arthur Morrison

Kathleen Morrison (Anglia Ruskin University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 1 Nov 1863
Died 4 Dec 1945
Activity 1883-1945

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Novelist

Resources

The legendary fame of Arthur Conan Doyle’s amateur detective, Sherlock Holmes, seems to be unbounded. However, few people are aware of Doyle’s successor in The Strand Magazine after his creation Holmes tumbled to his death at the Reichenbach Falls in the December 1893 edition of the magazine. The challenge of creating a new mythical hero towards the end of the nineteenth century was embraced by Arthur Morrison, whose detective, Martin Hewitt, succeeded in replacing Holmes in the affections of the magazine’s middle and working class readers. Hewitt featured in twenty-five stories, the first seven of which were published serially in The Strand Magazine from March-September 1894, and were illustrated by Sidney Paget. Striking for their original and ingenious plots, they combine impressive mastery of working class characterisation and dialect with imaginative description. It was, however,...

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1899 words

Citation: Morrison, Kathleen. "Arthur Morrison". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 October 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3212, accessed 09 June 2026.]