Stephen Graham (author)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Graham was a British
journalist, travel-writer, essayist and novelist. His best-known books recount his travels around pre-revolutionary Russia
and his journey to Jerusalem with a group of Russian Christian pilgrims. Most of his works express his sympathy for the poor, for agricultural labourers and for tramps, and his distaste for industrialisation.
In the early 20th century Graham was commissioned by Lord Northcliffe to write reports from Russia for "The Times". Not long after his arrival in Russia he met Rosa Savory, whom he married in Russia in 1909. He was twenty-five; she, forty years old.
During World War I
Graham found himself in the Altai mountains, from where he sent accounts of the war as seen from a Russian point-of-view, which were published in "The Times" and republished as "Russia and the World" (1915) and "Through Russian Central Asia" (1916).
After this Graham returned to Britain and enlisted in the Scots Guards. He reached the Western Front in April 1918; and the following year published his account of his wartime experiences in "A Private in the Guards" (1919), in which he speaks of the degrading effects of military discipline. In 1921 Graham revisited the western battle-fields and published his observations in "The Challenge of the Dead" (1921).
Graham later spent some time in the United States of America; and published his accounts of immigrants in the States in "Tramping with a Poet" (1922).
In 1964 he published his autobiography, "Part of the Wonderful Scene".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist, travel-writer, essayist and novelist. His best-known books recount his travels around pre-revolutionary Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and his journey to Jerusalem with a group of Russian Christian pilgrims. Most of his works express his sympathy for the poor, for agricultural labourers and for tramps, and his distaste for industrialisation.
Biography
Graham was born in Edinburgh, the son of P. Anderson Graham, the essayist and editor of "Country Life". Shortly after his birth his family moved to Cheltenham. At the age of fourteen Graham left school and worked in London as a clerk in the law courts and the civil service. He began to study Russian under Nicolai Lebedev, with whom he spent a holiday at Lisichansk near the Sea of Azov - an experience which began a life-long interest in Russia. Shortly after returning to Britain he gave up his job and returned to Russia to hike around the Caucasus and the Urals. Thereafter he supported himself by his journalism and his books.In the early 20th century Graham was commissioned by Lord Northcliffe to write reports from Russia for "The Times". Not long after his arrival in Russia he met Rosa Savory, whom he married in Russia in 1909. He was twenty-five; she, forty years old.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Graham found himself in the Altai mountains, from where he sent accounts of the war as seen from a Russian point-of-view, which were published in "The Times" and republished as "Russia and the World" (1915) and "Through Russian Central Asia" (1916).
After this Graham returned to Britain and enlisted in the Scots Guards. He reached the Western Front in April 1918; and the following year published his account of his wartime experiences in "A Private in the Guards" (1919), in which he speaks of the degrading effects of military discipline. In 1921 Graham revisited the western battle-fields and published his observations in "The Challenge of the Dead" (1921).
Graham later spent some time in the United States of America; and published his accounts of immigrants in the States in "Tramping with a Poet" (1922).
In 1964 he published his autobiography, "Part of the Wonderful Scene".
Further reading
- M. Hughes, 'The Visionary Goes West: Stephen Graham's American Odyssey', in "Studies in Travel Writing"; 14:2 (2010 June), p.179-196
- M. Hughes, 'Searching for the Soul of Russia: British Perceptions of Russia during the First World War', in "Twentieth Century British History"; 20:2 (2009), p.198-226
- S. Graham, "Part of the Wonderful Scene" (1964)