Gilbert Cannan
Gilbert Cannan was an English writer and translator, born in Manchester in 1884. He was adopted by his cousin, economist Edwin Cannan, and showed early promise in languages, later winning a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge. However, he left due to emerging signs of mental instability. Cannan became well-connected in literary circles that included notable figures such as Henry James and H.G. Wells, ultimately choosing writing over a legal career after being called to the bar. He is recognized for his translations of works from German, French, and Russian, most notably Romain Rolland's ten-volume novel "Jean-Christophe."
Cannan's literary output included twenty-seven books, fourteen plays, and various literary critiques, with his first novel, "Peter Homunculus," reflecting his autobiographical experiences. His acclaimed play "Miles Dixon" drew comparisons to Irish playwright John Millington Synge, while "Mendel: A Story of Youth" addressed the struggles of a Jewish immigrant in London. Despite his initial success, Cannan faced ongoing financial and marital issues, leading to a severe mental breakdown by 1917 and eventual confinement in a mental institution in 1924. His works often critique marriage, politics, and the Anglican Church, positioning him as a significant yet troubled figure in early twentieth-century literature.
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Gilbert Cannan
- Born: June 25, 1884
- Birthplace: Manchester, Lancashire, England
- Died: June 30, 1955
Biography
Gilbert Cannan was born in Manchester, England, in 1884 to Henry Cannan, a shipping clerk, and Violet Wright Cannan. He attended a state school and received a scholarship to Manchester Grammar School, where he showed promise in languages. When he was thirteen he was adopted by his cousin, economist Edwin Cannan of Oxford, England. Although he won a scholarship to King’s College, Cambridge, to study languages, he left when signs of mental instability emerged. While reading for the bar in London, he gained acceptance in literary circles that included writers Henry James, James Barrie, H. G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, and Joseph Conrad. Although Cannan was called to the bar, he left law to take up writing.
Cannan is a well-regarded translator who translated German, French, and Russian into English. He translated Romain Rolland’s ten-volume novel Jean-Christophe (1905- 1912) from French to English, and he viewed this work as highly opportunistic because his interaction with the literature motivated and, in a manner of speaking, trained him to write himself.
In the next fifteen years, Cannan wrote twenty-seven books, fourteen plays, numerous short stories, and literary criticism. His first novel, Peter Homunculus (1909), concerns his autobiographical escapades with three women, including Mary Barrie, as each attempts to seduce the young writer. In fact, Cannan’s affair with Barrie resulted in her divorce from James Barrie. The couple subsequently married in 1910, the same year Cannan translated Heinrich Heine’s memoirs. Round the Corner: Being the Life and Death of Francis Christopher Folyat, Bachelor of Divinity, and Father of a Large Family (1913), a biography of the headstrong Parson Folyat, based on Cannan’s own grandfather, Francis Arbuthnot Wright, established Cannan as a serious, talented writer.
Cannan was also highly acclaimed as a dramatist. The Manchester Guardian compared his 1910 play Miles Dixon to the work of Irish playwright John Millington Synge. His 1911 James and John placed Cannan firmly in the same league with playwrights George Bernard Shaw and John Galsworthy. His popular Mendel: A Story of Youth (1916) portrays the life of a Jewish immigrant boy in London and the conflicts between his artistic inclinations and his attempts to break out of his prearranged religious life.
Eventually, ongoing financial and marital difficulties had a disastrous effect on Cannan, and the mental instability he suffered as a youth progressed until he experienced a mental breakdown that led to insanity in 1917. He was confined to a mental institution in 1924.
Cannan was considered a trailblazing, ironic writer of the early twentieth century. Most of his works criticize marriage, politics, and the Anglican Church.