Late in the 1890s, he began to write his historical works. Year by year Crawford published a number of successful novels. In October 1884 he married Elizabeth Berdan, the daughter of the American Civil War Union General Hiram Berdan. This may explain why Marion Crawford's books stand apart from any distinctively American current in literature. He wrote three long historical studies of Italy and was well advanced with a history of Rome in the Middle Ages when he died.
More than half his novels are set in Italy. He lived at the historic Hotel Cocumella in Sorrento during 1885 and settled permanently in Sant' Agnello, where in the fall he bought the Villa Renzi that became Villa Crawford. In May 1883 he returned to Italy, where he made his permanent home. It had an immediate success, and Dr Claudius (1883) followed promptly. In December 1882 he produced his first novel, Mr Isaacs, a sketch of modern Anglo-Indian life mingled with a touch of Oriental mystery. His Uncle Sam Ward suggested he try writing about his years in India and helped him develop contacts with New York publishers. In January 1882, George Henschel, conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, assess his prospects and determined Crawford would "never be able to sing in perfect tune". His mother had hoped he could train in Boston for a career as an operatic baritone based on his private renditions of Schubert lieder. His family was concerned about his financial prospects. Early in 1882 he established his lifelong close friendship with Isabella Stewart Gardner.ĭuring this period he lived most of the time in Boston at his Aunt Julia Ward Howe's house and in the company of his Uncle, Sam Ward. Returning to America in February 1881, he continued to study Sanskrit at Harvard University for a year and for two years contributed to various periodicals, mainly The Critic.
In 1879 he went to India, where he studied Sanskrit and edited in Allahabad The Indian Herald.
He studied successively at St Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire Cambridge University University of Heidelberg and the University of Rome. Hugh Fraser), and the nephew of Julia Ward Howe, the American poet. Crawford was born in Bagni di Lucca, Italy, the only son of the American sculptor Thomas Crawford and Louisa Cutler Ward, the brother of writer Mary Crawford Fraser ( aka Mrs.
0 kommentar(er)
