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Classic Authors: Wilkie Collins

© Susan Jensen

Although he never gained the fame and fortune of his friend Charles Dickens, British novelist Wilkie Collins earned his own reputation as a skilled writer. Not only did he produce what is often regarded as the first detective novel, but he also lived a carefree Bohemian lifestyle that continues to fascinate his fans. The writer’s major novels have never been out of print, and are still studied in literature classes around the world.

William Wilkie Collins was born in London on January 8, 1824. His father, William Collins, RA (Royal Academician), earned his living as a landscape artist and portrait painter. Wilkie’s school days began in 1835 at Maida Hill Academy. In September of the next year, he left the country to tour France and Italy with his parents and his brother, Charles. When he returned in August of 1838, he continued his schooling at Cole’s boarding school at 39 Highbury Place. It was here that, in an attempt to appease the school bully, Wilkie learned of his ability to tell stories.

In 1841, Wilkie left school and began an apprenticeship with the tea merchants at Antrobust and Co. in the Strand. He wasn’t terribly skilled at commerce, but it was here that he began writing. His first signed publication, “The Last Stage Coachman,” appeared in Douglas Jerrod’s Illustrated Magazine in 1843, when he was still employed at the company. Three years later, Wilkie began studying law at Lincoln’s Inn. While doing so, he published his first major work, a biography of his father, which appeared in 1848. He was called to the bar in 1851, but never did practice the profession. Instead, he turned his full efforts to writing.

The year 1851 proved important to Wilkie for more reasons than his appointment before the bar. Not only did he publish two books–Rambles Beyond Railways, or Notes in Cornwall Taken A-Foot and Mr. Wray’s Cash-Box; or, the Mask and the Mystery–but he also began writing for two journals: Bentley’s Miscellany and The Leader. It was also at this time that he met Charles Dickens through an acquaintance, Augustus Egg. The two writers became fast friends and remained so until Dickens’s death. Not only did they collaborate on pieces, but they also took frequent trips abroad together.

In the 1850s and 60s, Wilkie’s health began to decline. He suffered from what he termed “rheumatic gout” or “neuralgia.” The affliction especially affected his eyes, and he often needed a secretary. After trying many and divers remedies, he began taking opium. Although he took large doses, he used the drug only for medicinal purposes. Despite his ill health, he published his four major novels–The Woman In White(1860), No Name(1862), Armadale(1862) and The Moonstone(1868)-- during this period. The Woman In White has often been labeled the first detective novel in literary history. The novels, especially the first, were enormously popular.