1889 was a year packed with literary milestones, from the debut of iconic works to the passing of literary giants. Let’s dive into the exciting world of books and plays that unfolded during this remarkable period.
A Glimpse into 1889
The year began with H. G. Wells taking up a teaching position at Henley House School. Little did he know that one of his pupils, A. A. Milne, would later become a renowned author himself! February brought the simultaneous premiere of Henrik Ibsen’s symbolic drama “The Lady from the Sea” in Oslo and Weimar. March saw the debut of August Strindberg’s naturalistic drama “Miss Julie,” with his wife, Siri von Essen, taking on the leading role. The Garrick Theatre in London opened its doors in April with a performance of Arthur Wing Pinero’s “The Profligate.”
This year was a time of artistic expression and critical acclaim. May saw the English publisher Henry Vizetelly facing legal trouble for the second time, this time for his English translations of Émile Zola’s works. A new era in publishing began in June with Algernon Methuen launching his own publishing house. August witnessed a memorable dinner at the Langham Hotel, where Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde were commissioned to write stories that would be published in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine the following year.
The Written Word Takes Flight
September was a month of literary releases. Jerome K. Jerome’s comic travelogue “Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)” was published in Bristol. Meanwhile, Leo Tolstoy’s novella “The Kreutzer Sonata” circulated in clandestine copies. The Russian authorities, however, banned its commercial publication in December. The Volkstheater in Vienna opened its doors in September with a performance of Ludwig Anzengruber’s “Der Fleck auf der Ehr” before the playwright’s tragic passing in December.
November saw Marcel Proust begin his year of military service. December brought both joy and sorrow with Robert Browning’s final book “Asolando; Fancies and Facts” being published on the same day as his passing. He was laid to rest in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.
A Year of Literary Treasures
Beyond these notable events, 1889 saw a wealth of literary treasures emerge. Anton Manwel Caruana published the first literary novel in the Maltese language, “Ineż Farruġ.” The first volume of Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Winning of the West” was published in the United States.
A host of other notable works graced the shelves of libraries and bookstores: William Morris’s “The Roots of the Mountains,” Oscar Wilde’s short story “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.,” Jules Verne’s “The Purchase of the North Pole,” Sydney Grundy’s “A Pair of Spectacles,” William Butler Yeats’s “The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems,” Henri Bergson’s “Time and Free Will,” Helena Petrovna Blavatsky’s “The Voice of the Silence,” Charles Booth’s “Life and Labour of the People in London,” Edward Carpenter’s “Civilization: its Cause and Cure,” William Temple Hornaday’s “The Extermination of the American Bison,” Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers’s “The Key of Solomon the King,” and Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer.”
1889 was a year of literary brilliance, marking the birth of new talents and the passing of beloved writers. It is a year that continues to shape the literary landscape and inspire readers around the world.
