People best know British writer
George Robert Gissing for his novels, such as
New Grub Street (1891), about poverty and hardship.
This English novelist who published twenty-three novels between 1880 and 1903. From his early naturalistic works, he developed into one of the most accomplished realists of the late-Victorian era.
Born to lower-middle-class parents, Gissing went to win a scholarship to Owens College, the present-day University of Manchester. A brilliant student, he excelled at university, winning many coveted prizes, including the Shakespeare prize in 1875. Between 1891 and 1897 (his so-called middle period) he produced his best works, which include
New Grub Street,
Born in Exile ,
The Odd Women ,
In the Year of Jubilee , and
The Whirlpool . The middle years of the decade saw his reputation reach new heights: some critics count him alongside
George Meredith and
Thomas Hardy, the best novelists of his day. He also enjoyed new friendships with fellow writers such as
Henry James, and
H.G. Wells, and came into contact with many other up-and-coming writers such as
Joseph Conrad and
Stephen Crane.