Mortimer Collins
Edward James Mortimer Collins, born on June 29, 1827, in Plymouth, England, was a noteworthy figure in the Victorian literary scene, recognized for his works as a novelist, journalist, and poet. Initially pursuing a career in teaching, he transitioned to writing in 1856, settling in London and later Berkshire, where he dedicated his life to literary endeavors. Collins is well-known for his contributions to various periodicals, including Punch and Temple Bar, and is credited with seventeen novels published between 1868 and 1878, though they received mixed reviews. His poetry, particularly his light verse, garnered more acclaim, with works like "The British Birds" noted for their enduring appeal.
Despite his reputation as a conventional writer, Collins's personal style and demeanor earned him the nickname "King of the Bohemians," reflecting a contrast between his unconventional appearance and his conservative values. He had a profound love for country life and was passionate about athletics, natural history, and classical literature. Throughout his life, he maintained friendships with prominent literary figures and produced significant works that, despite facing criticism for their style, allowed him to sustain a living as a writer. Collins passed away on July 28, 1876, leaving behind a unique legacy in Victorian literature.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Mortimer Collins
Poet
- Born: June 29, 1827
- Birthplace: Plymouth, Devonshire, England
- Died: July 28, 1876
- Place of death: Knowl Hill, Berkshire, England
Biography
Edward James Mortimer Collins was born June 29, 1827, in Plymouth, England, to solicitor Francis Collins. An only child, Mortimer was sent to a private school. He then studied at Queen Elizabeth’s College in Guernsey. After pursuing a career in teaching as a mathematical master, he resigned in 1856 to move to London (and later, Berkshire), where he would devote the rest of his life to writing as a novelist, conservative journalist, and poet of Victorian and light, witty verse.
While he began his literary career publishing poetry—including contributions to the “Poet’s Corner” of Bristol newspapers and such collections as the 1855 volume Idyls and Rhymes—he made his living as a journalist, contributing to numerous periodicals, including Punch, Temple Bar, and Tinsley’s Magazine. Collins also worked as an editor at numerous provincial papers. He wrote seventeen novels, published between 1868 and 1878 in the conventional form of the time, most in three-volume sets (with one work, Mr. Carington, published under the pseudonym Robert TaylorCotton).
Around this time, he met and married Susannah Hubbard Crump. After Susannah died in 1867, he remarried a year later, wedding Frances Cotton. Shortly thereafter, the couple settled at Knowl Hill, in Berkshire.
Reportedly, Collins was a conventional writer but an unconventional man. His dress and manners were unusual enough that he was dubbed “King of the Bohemians”—although, ironically, he was essentially religious and conservative. He loved the country life as much as writing: As some reports have said, he was an avid and expert pedestrian, appreciated athletics and natural history, as well as mathematics, chess, and classical literature, particularly the work of Aristophanes. Collins also cultivated many long-term friendships with such literary men as R. D. Blackmore, R. H. Horne, and Frederick Locker-Lampson.
While his success was primarily in journalism and his most enduring writings are collections of light verse, his novels drew mixed, often unfavorable responses. Thorough critiques of a number of his works appeared in literary journals where critics damned his digressive and silly style, finding the author himself “in the darkest ignorance about human nature and character,” as a writer for the September 30, 1865 issue of the Saturday Review commented.
Some today comment that a volume of essays, The Secret of Long Life, published in 1871, was Collins’s most successful work, as it ran through five editions. Others have suggested that his best sustained poem was The British Birds, a Communication from the Ghost of Aristophanes (1872), influenced by Collins’s favorite playwright. Criticism aside, Collins made a living at writing in the demanding early nineteenth century, indulging in the country life, snubbing convention, and alternately upholding the morals and conventions of church and state. He died on July 28, 1876.