HOUSMAN

housman, laurence (1867- ), english writer and artist, was born on the 18th of june 1867. having studied at south kensington, he first made a reputation as a book-illustrator. some of his best pictorial work may be seen in the editions of meredith's _jump to glory jane_ (1892), the _weird tales of jonas lie_ (1892), jane barlow's _land of elfintoun_ (1894), christina rossetti's _goblin market_ (1893), _werewolf_ (1896), by his sister, miss clemence housman, shelley's _sensitive plant_ (1898), and his own _farm in fairyland_ (1894). his designs were engraved on wood by miss housman. his volumes of verse include _green arras_ (1896), _rue_ (1899), _spikenard_ (1898) and _mendicant rhymes_ (1906); and the mysticism which characterizes the devotional poems in _spikenard_ recurs in his half-allegorical tales, _all fellows_ (1896), _the blue moon_ (1904) and _the cloak of friendship_ (1906). his nativity play, _bethlehem_, was presented in the great hall of london university at south kensington for a week in december 1902. in 1900 he published anonymously _an englishwoman's love letters_, which created a temporary sensation; and he followed this essay in popular fiction by the novels _a modem antaeus_ (1901) and _sabrina warham_ (1904). on the 23rd of december 1904 his fantastic play _prunella_, written in collaboration with mr granville barker, was produced at the court theatre. his brother, alfred edward housman (b. 1859), an accomplished scholar, professor of latin at university college, london, is known as a poet by his striking lyrical series, _a shropshire lad_ (1896).