W. F. Harvey
Encyclopedia
William Fryer Harvey was an English writer of short stories
, most notably in the mystery
and horror
genres. Among his better-known stories are "August Heat
" and "The Beast with Five Fingers
".
Born into a wealthy Quaker family in Yorkshire, he attended the Quaker schools at Bootham
in Yorkshire
and at Leighton Park in Reading
before going on to Balliol College, Oxford
. He took a degree in medicine at Leeds
. Ill health dogged him, however, and he devoted himself to personal projects such as his first book of short stories, Midnight House (1910).
During World War I, he joined a Friends' Ambulance Unit
, later serving as a surgeon-lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and received the Albert Medal for Lifesaving. Lung damage received during the rescue that resulted in this award was to trouble him for the rest of his life, but he continued to write both short stories and his cheerful and good natured memoir, We Were Seven.
Before and after the war, he showed his interest in adult education, working at the Working Men's College
at Fircroft, near Birmingham
. After the war, he returned to Fircroft in 1920, becoming Warden, but by 1925 ill-health forced his retirement. In 1928, he published a second collection of short stories, The Beast with Five Fingers, and in 1933 he published a third, Moods and Tenses. He lived in Switzerland with his wife for much of this time, but nostalgia for his home country caused his return to England; he died in Letchworth in 1937, at the age of 52.
The release of the movie The Beast with Five Fingers
(1946), directed by Robert Florey
, starring Peter Lorre
, inspired by what was perhaps his most famous and praised short story, caused a resurgence of interest in Harvey's work. In 1951, a posthumous fourth collection of his stories, The Arm of Mrs Egan and Other Stories, appeared, including a set of twelve stories left in manuscript at the time of his death, "Twelve Strange Cases."
In 2009, Wordsworth Editions printed an omnibus
volume of Harvey's stories titled The Beast With Five Fingers in its "Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural" series (ISBN A978-1-84022-179-4). The volume contains 45 stories, and an introduction by David Stuart Davies
, the source of much of the biographical data given in this article.
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, most notably in the mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
and horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
genres. Among his better-known stories are "August Heat
August Heat (W. F. Harvey Short Story)
August Heat is a 1910 short story by W. F. Harvey, about two men whose glimpses, each of the other's possible future, lead them to a strange paralyzed standoff....
" and "The Beast with Five Fingers
The Beast with Five Fingers
The Beast with Five Fingers is a horror film directed by Robert Florey and with a screenplay by Curt Siodmak, based on a short story by W. F. Harvey first published in the New Decameron. The original music score was composed by Max Steiner...
".
Born into a wealthy Quaker family in Yorkshire, he attended the Quaker schools at Bootham
Bootham
Bootham is a district near the centre of the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is just outside Bootham Bar, one of the ancient gateways through the city walls of York...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and at Leighton Park in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
before going on to Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
. He took a degree in medicine at Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. Ill health dogged him, however, and he devoted himself to personal projects such as his first book of short stories, Midnight House (1910).
During World War I, he joined a Friends' Ambulance Unit
Friends' Ambulance Unit
The Friends' Ambulance Unit was a volunteer ambulance service, founded by individual members of the British Religious Society of Friends , in line with their Peace Testimony. The FAU operated from 1914–1919, 1939–1946 and 1946-1959 in 25 different countries around the world...
, later serving as a surgeon-lieutenant in the Royal Navy, and received the Albert Medal for Lifesaving. Lung damage received during the rescue that resulted in this award was to trouble him for the rest of his life, but he continued to write both short stories and his cheerful and good natured memoir, We Were Seven.
Before and after the war, he showed his interest in adult education, working at the Working Men's College
Working Men's College
The Working Men's College- WMC, being among the earliest adult education institutions established in the United Kingdom, is Europe's oldest extant centre for adult education and perhaps one of its smallest...
at Fircroft, near Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. After the war, he returned to Fircroft in 1920, becoming Warden, but by 1925 ill-health forced his retirement. In 1928, he published a second collection of short stories, The Beast with Five Fingers, and in 1933 he published a third, Moods and Tenses. He lived in Switzerland with his wife for much of this time, but nostalgia for his home country caused his return to England; he died in Letchworth in 1937, at the age of 52.
The release of the movie The Beast with Five Fingers
The Beast with Five Fingers
The Beast with Five Fingers is a horror film directed by Robert Florey and with a screenplay by Curt Siodmak, based on a short story by W. F. Harvey first published in the New Decameron. The original music score was composed by Max Steiner...
(1946), directed by Robert Florey
Robert Florey
Robert Florey was a French screenwriter, director of short films, and actor who moved to Hollywood in 1921. In 1950, Florey was made a knight in the French Légion d'honneur....
, starring Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
, inspired by what was perhaps his most famous and praised short story, caused a resurgence of interest in Harvey's work. In 1951, a posthumous fourth collection of his stories, The Arm of Mrs Egan and Other Stories, appeared, including a set of twelve stories left in manuscript at the time of his death, "Twelve Strange Cases."
In 2009, Wordsworth Editions printed an omnibus
Omnibus
Omnibus may refer to:Law* Omnibus bill, a single legislative document containing many laws or amendments* Omnibus spending bill, a single legislative document that sets the budget of many government departments* Omnibus clause* Omnibus hearing...
volume of Harvey's stories titled The Beast With Five Fingers in its "Tales of Mystery and the Supernatural" series (ISBN A978-1-84022-179-4). The volume contains 45 stories, and an introduction by David Stuart Davies
David Stuart Davies
David Stuart Davies is a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies has written extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction...
, the source of much of the biographical data given in this article.