J. Storer Clouston
Joseph Storer Clouston was a Scottish author and barrister, born in 1870 in Cumberland, Scotland. He received his education in Edinburgh and at Magdalen College, Oxford, before becoming a barrister in 1895. Clouston later moved to Orkney, where he served in local government and became prominent in various civic roles, including as the Chairman of Orkney Harbours Commissioners. He had a deep interest in the history of Orkney, particularly its Norse heritage, and contributed significantly to the preservation and study of the region's historical narratives through his writings, including "The History of Orkney."
In addition to his historical works, Clouston was a prolific novelist, writing over forty novels primarily in the light comic tradition. His most notable works include the series that began with "The Lunatic at Large," which featured a comedic narrative style reflective of late Victorian interests. Clouston also ventured into crime fiction, with "The Spy in Black," released during World War I, gaining attention for its espionage themes. His work has been recognized for its contribution to detective literature, with titles like "Carrington's Cases" earning a place in the notable "Queen's Quorum." Clouston's diverse literary output showcases his unique blend of humor, intrigue, and historical fascination.
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J. Storer Clouston
Writer
- Born: 1870
- Birthplace: Cumberland, Scotland
- Died: 1944
- Place of death: Orphir, Orkney Island, Scotland
Biography
Joseph Storer Clouston was born in Cumberland, Scotland, in 1870. He was the son of Sir Thomas and Winifred Clouston. He was educated in Edinburgh, Scotland, and then at Magdalen College, Oxford University, in England. In 1895 he became a barrister, and he worked for the National Service Department in Scotland. He moved to Orkney, an island to the north of Scotland, where he lived the rest of his life in the city of Orphir. He served for fourteen years as Covener of Orkney (head of the local government). In 1935 he became the Chairman of Orkney Harbours Commissioners. He was extremely interested in the long history of Orkney and the Orcadian archipelago, specializing in its Norse background. He researched and published The History of Orkney, as well as accounts of his own family and many other family histories. He wrote or edited several other works regarding the history and genealogy of Orkney, and was the founder of the Orkney Antiquarian Society. He was also a prolific writer of over forty novels, most of them in the light comic tradition, such as Vandrad the Viking: Or, The Feud and the Spell. The best known of these novels are those in a series that started with The Lunatic at Large: Or, His First Offence. A “lunatic” repeatedly escapes from his institution and creates various madcap problems. The series was in keeping with the interest during the late Victorian period for comic “rogue stories” about thieves and swindlers, stories that are often seen as forerunners of later chase and espionage fiction.
Around 1900, Clouston began writing more crime fiction. The most well-known of these is The Spy in Black, published in the United States under the title U-Boat Twenty-Nine. It appeared in 1917, during World War I, and was of interest because it featured a German naval officer, wearing black, who is dropped off on an island near Scotland in order to spy on its residents. The story of disguise, intrigue, and opposing national powers made it seem equally apropos in 1939, at the beginning of World War II, when it was made into a feature film, (although much of the plot was restructured). Another work, Carrington’s Cases, was at one point on an Ellery Queen “Queen’s Quorum” list as one of the one hundred twenty-five most important detective-crime fiction books. Perhaps this was due to the book’s young, monocled private detective with the “round, ingenuous, very agreeable face” who called himself an “inquiry agent,” or perhaps because it included the short story “Coincidence,” which was widely anthologized and praised for its puzzle plot and its impertinent rogue. A nondetective novel that indicates more about the range of Clouston’s fiction is Button Brains, published in 1933. It deals comically with a robot who is constantly mistaken for its human model. This case of mistaken identity perhaps marks the first time in robotics fiction that this particular imagined problem is presented.