William Henry Giles Kingston

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Portrait WHG Kingston (1884)

William Henry Giles Kingston (born February 28, 1814 in City of Westminster , London , † August 5, 1880 in Willesden , Middlesex ) was an English writer. His name is often quoted with WHG Kingston .

Live and act

Kingston was the eldest son of the wine merchant Lucy Henry Kingston and his wife Frances Sophia Rooke. His brother George (1816-1886) worked as a scientist mainly in Canada and later became known as the father of meteorology in Canada . His maternal grandfather was Giles Rooke , director of the East India Company ; his paternal grandfather was Rep. John Kingston. The Kingston family mainly imported wine from Porto ( Portugal ) and WHG spent most of its childhood there.

Kingston studied at Trinity College in Cambridge and then joined his father's company as his father's companion. During this time he toured the country and wrote several essays that appeared in English newspapers / magazines and in Portuguese translation also in Portugal. He was also significantly responsible for the conclusion of trade agreements between England and Portugal and was raised to the nobility by Queen Maria II .

On August 4, 1853, Kingston married Agnes Kinloch, a daughter of Captain Charles Kinloch, who had fought Napoleon in Spain as aide-de-camp General John Hope in London . The couple had eight children, but they all died in childhood. The Kingston couple spent their honeymoon in Canada.

Kingston spent the last months of his life sickly on his estate in Willesden. On August 2, 1880, he wrote a moving farewell letter to his young readers and died three days later at the age of 66.

reception

With his novel "The Circassian Chief" Kingston was able to debut successfully in 1844 with a work of fiction. From 1850 onwards he wrote almost exclusively for children and young people: preferably adventure novels for boys. His success as a writer enabled him to travel to many countries and the impressions and experiences of these trips then often formed the basis of his novels. In parallel, Kingston also published some interesting biographies over time, which were often intended for a young audience.

In addition to his own works, Kingston also translated novels by Jules Verne , Johann David Wyss and others. a.

Works (selection)

As an author

Biographies
Books for children and young readers
  • Peter the whaler .
    • German: Peter the whale catcher . Kuntze, Dresden 1852.
  • Kidnapping in the Pacific .
  • Hendriks, the Hunter .
Non-fiction
  • Lusitanian Tales .
    • German: Portuguese national and moral images . Arnold, Dresden 1846 (2 vol.)
  • Western Wanderings or a pleasure tour in the Canadas .
  • My travels in many lands .
  • A yacht voyage round England .
  • Travels of Mungo Park , Denham and Clapperton .

As translator

literature

  • Maurice R. Kingsford: The life, work and influence of William Henry Giles Kingston . Ryerson Press, Toronto 1947.

Web links

Commons : William Henry Giles Kingston  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Kingston, William Henry Giles
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kingston, WHG
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English writer
DATE OF BIRTH February 28, 1814
PLACE OF BIRTH City of Westminster , London
DATE OF DEATH August 5, 1880
Place of death Willesden , Middlesex