Oliver Onions Biography

British writer, born in Bradford. Having studied art in London, he turned to fiction with the publication of The Compleat Bachelor (1900). This was followed by many other novels including two historical novels, The Story of Ragged Robin (1945) and Poor Man's Tapestry (1946), and A Shilling to Spend (1965). He is now remembered principally for the eloquent ghost stories contained in Widdershins (1911), Ghosts in Daylight (1924), and The Painted Face (1929). The subtle interplay of manifestation and psychosis in his most famous single story, ‘The Beckoning Fair One’ (in Widdershins), is couched in an elegant prose which characterizes much of his work. He was married to the romantic novelist Berta Ruck (1878–1978).