Frank Harris

Frank Harris (1856–1931) was an Irish-born writer, journalist, and editor whose career spanned Britain and the United States. He is best known for editing prominent magazines and for his posthumously published autobiography My Life and Loves.

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George Bernard Shaw: An Irish playwright and critic whose plays include Pygmalion and Man and Superman. Shaw was Harris’s friend and a fellow Irish writer active in British literary life.
The Saturday Review: A British weekly literary and political magazine founded in 1855. Harris edited this influential London weekly from 1894 to 1898.
My Life and Loves: Frank Harris’s multivolume autobiography, published between 1922 and 1927. Its sexual candor and disputed claims became the central source of Harris’s later notoriety.
Autobiography: A firsthand account of the author’s own life, written by that person. Harris’s memoir belongs to this form but pushes its claims toward sensational self-portraiture.
Oscar Wilde: An Irish writer known for works including The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. Wilde belonged to the literary world Harris covered and later described in his memoir.
Fortnightly Review: A British periodical founded in 1865 for essays on politics, literature, and culture. Harris edited the magazine from 1894, publishing contributors across public life.
The Man Shakespeare: Frank Harris’s 1909 book proposing a biographical interpretation of William Shakespeare. The book shows Harris applying his forceful, speculative style to Shakespeare’s life.
Memoir: A first-person account focused on selected experiences and their personal meaning. Its selective perspective offers a useful distinction from Harris’s sweeping life narrative.
H. G. Wells: An English novelist whose works include The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds. Harris encountered Wells as an editor and chronicler of contemporary literary figures.
Pearson's Magazine: A British monthly illustrated magazine published from 1896 to 1939. Harris edited its American edition, extending his work into mass-market publishing.