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William Sharp (1855-1905) conducted one of the most audacious literary deceptions of his or any time. Sharp was a Scottish poet, novelist, biographer and editor who in 1893 began to write critically and commercially successful books under the name Fiona Macleod. This was far more than just a pseudonym: he corresponded as Macleod, enlisting his sister to provide the handwriting and address, and for more than a decade Fiona Macleod duped not only the general public but such literary luminaries as William Butler Yeats and, in America, E. C. Stedman.
Sharp wrote I feel another self within me now more than ever; it is as if I were possessed by a spirit who must speak out . This three-volume collection brings together Sharp’s own correspondence - a fascinating trove in its own right, by a Victorian man of letters who was on intimate terms with writers including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Walter Pater, and George Meredith - and the Fiona Macleod letters, which bring to life Sharp’s intriguing second self .
With an introduction and detailed notes by William F. Halloran, this richly rewarding collection offers a wonderful insight into the literary landscape of the time, while also investigating a strange and underappreciated phenomenon of late-nineteenth-century English literature. It is essential for scholars of the period, and it is an illuminating read for anyone interested in authorship and identity.
