St. John Hankin
St. John Hankin was an English playwright and journalist, whose career spanned a challenging and often disheartening landscape of early 20th-century theater. Born to an educationally inclined family, with his father being a headmaster and his mother a published poet, Hankin pursued a degree in classics at Merton College, Oxford. He initially ventured into journalism, writing for notable publications like the London Times and Indian Daily News, before turning to theater. Despite his efforts, Hankin faced significant criticism, particularly for his preference for "slice of life" dramas that often concluded without clear resolutions, which clashed with public expectations for more traditional narratives.
His notable works included "The Two Mr. Westerbys" and "The Return of the Prodigal," both of which revealed his potential but were met with indifference from audiences and critics alike. Hankin's struggles with health and the harsh realities of the theatrical world contributed to a profound sense of despair. Tragically, he ended his life at the age of thirty-nine, leaving behind a legacy that prompts discussions about the challenges faced by playwrights in a competitive and often unsympathetic environment. Through his work, Hankin attempted to capture the complexities of life, even as he battled personal demons and societal expectations.
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St. John Hankin
Playwright
- Born: September 25, 1869
- Birthplace: Southampton, Hampshire, England
- Died: June 15 or 16, 1909
Biography
St. John Hankin’s career ended at age thirty-nine, when the playwright tied weights around his neck and drowned himself. His suicide note indicated that he feared becoming an invalid, as his father, Charles Wright Hankin, once headmaster of King Edward VIGrammar School in Southampton, had done. Hankin’s mother, Mary Louisa Perrot Hankin, was a poet who had volume of verse in print at the time of her son’s death.
Hankin was a reasonably accomplished playwright, although he received few encouraging reviews from critics. Playwrights from the preceding generation demeaned him by vetoing George Bernard Shaw’s nomination to give him membership in the Dramatists Club. In 1905, ill health forced Hankin and his wife, Florence Routledge, to move from London, where he wrote for the London Times and Punch, to Campden in Gloustershire. Hankin held a degree in classics from Merton College, Oxford. After a brief teaching career, he became a journalist associated with the Saturday Review. In 1894, he went to Calcutta, India, to work for the Indian Daily News. In less than a year, he had to return to England after surviving a severe case of malaria. He married in 1901.
Hankin’s first venture into theater was a collaboration with Nora Vynne entitled Andrew Paterson. The play was badly received and proved embarrassing to Hankin, who abandoned drama for the next decade. However, in 1903, he wrote The Two Mr. Westerbys on his own. It was premiered by the Stage Society, an organization supposedly devoted to uncovering new talent, at London’s Imperial Theatre. The play’s plot construction showed promise. Hankin did a competent job of creating conflict by setting up two opposing pairs of couples. However, London was indifferent to new drama, generally preferring to see tried-and-true plays that were established parts of the repertory.
The Two Mr. Westerbys, while not a strong play, revealed its author’s solid dramatic instincts. His next effort, The Return of the Prodigal, was more tightly constructed than Hankin’s earlier play. It was mildly satirical, making fun of the political views of affluent middle-class conservatives but lacking the brilliance of Shaw or of Oscar Wilde. Critics denounced Hankin for writing plays that had unhappy endings or lacked resolution. Hankin, in the preface to Three Plays with Happy Endings, explained that he chose to write what came to be called “slice of life” dramas, plays that began with a crucial event that would change the life of one of the characters and that forced that character or the group to take action. He showed how and why the event is decided and then ended the play. Hankin argued that this is what happens in life and often results in an inconclusive ending. He wrote two more full-length dramas, but the public, perhaps swayed by the lukewarm opinions of critics, rejected them. By this time, Hankin’s spirit was more or less broken, and his neurasthenia overwhelmed him.