George Gissing

George Robert Gissing (GHISS-ing; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. Gissing's best-known works include The Nether World (1889), New Grub Street (1891), Born in Exile (1892) and The Odd Women (1893).

Early life

Gissing was born on 22 November 1857 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the eldest of five children of Thomas Waller Gissing, who ran a chemist's shop, and Margaret (née Bedford). His siblings were: William, who died aged twenty; Algernon, who became a writer; Margaret; and Ellen. His childhood home in Thompson's Yard, Wakefield, is maintained by The Gissing Trust.

Gissing was educated at Back Lane School in Wakefield, where he was a diligent and enthusiastic student. His serious interest in books began at the age of ten when he read The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens and subsequently, encouraged by his father and inspired by the family library, his literary interest grew. Juvenilia written at this time was published in 1995 in The Poetry of George Gissing. He was also skilled at drawing. Gissing's father died when he was 12 years old, and he and his brothers were sent to Lindow Grove School at Alderley Edge in Cheshire, where he was a solitary student who studied hard.

In 1872, after an exceptional performance in the Oxford Local Examinations, Gissing won a scholarship to Owens College, the forerunner of the Victoria University of Manchester, subsequently merged with University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form the University of Manchester. There he continued his intense studies, and won many prizes, including the Poem Prize in 1873 and the Shakespeare scholarship in 1875. He also began a relationship with Marianne "Nell" Harrison.