Young, Francis Brett (1884-1954), was a popular English novelist and poet. He wrote novels of great charm and elegance, beginning with The Dark Tower (1914) and Deep Sea (1914). He became widely known with Portrait of Clare (1927), which was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial prize. Others of his well-known novels include Cold Harbour (1924), My Brother Jonathan (1928), Black Roses (1929), The House Under the Water (1932), White Ladies (1935), A Man About the House (1942), and Portrait of a Village (1951). Much of his fiction is sentimental but reflects his skills as a storyteller. Young’s poetry included Poems 1916-1918 (1919) and The Island (1944), a long poem about England’s history with each section written in the verse form appropriate to that period.
Young was born on June 29, 1884, in Halesowen, Worcestershire, the setting for many of his novels. He was educated at Birmingham University. Before becoming a full-time writer, Young was a doctor and served for a time as a ship’s physician. He died on March 28, 1954.
