Ernest Bramah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ernest Bramah
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Ernest Bramah Smith
20 March 1868 near Manchester, England
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| Died | 27 June 1942 (aged 74) Hammersmith, London, England
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Ernest Bramah (born Ernest Brammah Smith) was an English writer. He lived from 1868 to 1942. He wrote 21 books and many short stories. People often compared his funny stories to those by Jerome K. Jerome. His detective stories were like those by Arthur Conan Doyle. His science fiction was compared to H. G. Wells. Even George Orwell said Bramah's book What Might Have Been inspired his famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Bramah created two well-known characters: Kai Lung and Max Carrados.
Contents
Ernest Bramah's Early Life
Ernest Brammah Smith was born in Manchester, England, in 1868. His father, Charles Clement Smith, became very wealthy. Ernest left Manchester Grammar School at age 16. He wasn't doing well in his classes.
Becoming a Farmer and Writer
After school, Ernest tried farming. His father helped him with a lot of money. While farming, Ernest started writing small stories for the Birmingham News. He even wrote a funny book about his farming adventures. Not many people bought it, and it was later destroyed. His father still supported him financially. Ernest then became a secretary for the famous writer Jerome K. Jerome. He also edited some magazines.
Ernest Bramah's Writing Career
Ernest Bramah became very successful with his character, Kai Lung. Kai Lung is a traveling storyteller. His first book, The Wallet of Kai Lung, came out in 1900. Eight publishers had said no to it before it was finally printed. This book was still being printed 100 years later! The Kai Lung stories are funny tales. They are set in China and sometimes include fantasy things like dragons.
Kai Lung's Unique Storytelling Style
Bramah gave Kai Lung a very special way of speaking. Here are some examples:
- "Kai Lung carefully stood up. He bowed many times to show he was peaceful. He then stood admiringly. When they saw this, the older girls ran away. They made loud noises to hide where they were going."
- "Among these important leaders is Wang Yu. He has left three times before without paying anything. If the greedy Wang Yu puts money in his simple bowl, I will continue."
- "After watching her graceful moves, the best artist in the area burned his tools. He started a new life training elephants."
The Kai Lung stories also have many wise sayings, called proverbs. For example:
- "Someone who is poor sees many good deals."
- "It's not honest to look for the Emperor in cheap teashops."
Science Fiction and Future Predictions
Bramah also wrote science fiction stories about politics. His book What Might Have Been (1907) showed his conservative ideas. It imagined a future society he didn't like. George Orwell said this book helped him write Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell thought Bramah's book predicted the rise of Fascism quite well.
Bramah imagined many things that later came true. He wrote about air trains flying high in the sky. He also described a nationwide wireless network. He even thought of a machine like a fax machine. He also imagined a secret code machine, similar to the German Enigma machine.
Max Carrados, the Blind Detective
In 1914, Bramah created Max Carrados. He was a detective who was blind. This was a very unusual idea at the time. In the second Carrados book, Bramah explained how a blind person could be a detective. He compared Max to real blind people who achieved great things. These included Nicholas Saunderson, a math professor. There was also Blind Jack of Knaresborough, who built roads.
Writing About Coins
In 1929, Bramah wrote a book called "English Regal Copper Coins." It was about British copper coins. It covered coins made from 1671 to 1860. This book is still used today by coin experts. His notes on how rare certain coins are are still helpful.
Famous Sayings and Quotations
People often say that Bramah invented the saying, "May you live in interesting times." This is often called an old Chinese curse. He is also credited with "May you come to the attention of those in authority." And "May you find what you are looking for." However, these sayings do not actually appear in his Kai Lung stories.
Ernest Bramah's Personal Life
Ernest Bramah was a very private person. He didn't share many details about his life. He was married to Lucy Maisie Smith. He passed away in 1942 at age 74. He had lived in Hammersmith, London, for about 30 years. After he died, his wife gave all his published books to the Hammersmith libraries. They were for people to use for research.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Ernest Bramah
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The Specimen Case by Ernest Bramah, with cover illustration by Mary Ellen Edwards.
