Hornung, E. W. (1866-1921), was an English novelist and short-story writer. He became known as the creator of A. J. Raffles, a charming gentleman burglar. Raffles’s adventures are recounted by his friend Bunny. The character became so popular that the name Raffles entered the English language as a synonym for an educated, well-bred, and sophisticated criminal. Hornung’s Raffles stories were collected in The Amateur Cracksman (1899), The Black Mask (1901), and A Thief in the Night (1905). The character also appears in a novel, Mr. Justice Raffles (1909), and two plays adapted from the stories, Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1903) and A Visit from Raffles (1909). Raffles also appeared in many motion pictures, variously starring John Barrymore, Ronald Colman, and David Niven.
Ernest William Hornung was born on June 7, 1866, in Middlesbrough, Cleveland, and was educated at Uppingham School. He lived in Australia from 1884 to 1886. His life in Australia inspired such novels as A Bride from the Bush (1890) and Irralie’s Bushranger: A Story of Australian Adventure (1896). Hornung died on March 22, 1921.
