W. W. Jacobs facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
W. W. Jacobs
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait of Jacobs by Elliott & Fry
|
|
| Born | William Wymark Jacobs 8 September 1863 London, England |
| Died | 1 September 1943 (aged 79) Islington, London, England |
| Occupation | Short story writer, novelist |
| Period | 1885–1943 |
William Wymark Jacobs (born September 8, 1863 – died September 1, 1943) was an English writer. He wrote many short stories and plays. He is most famous for his spooky tale, "The Monkey's Paw".
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Growing Up in London
William Wymark Jacobs was born on September 8, 1863, in London, England. His father, William Gage Jacobs, managed a dock called the South Devon wharf. This dock was near the St Katharine Docks by the River Thames. Young William spent a lot of time by the river. He learned a lot about the people and life there.
His mother died when he was young. His father later married their housekeeper. They had seven more children together. William went to a private school in London. After that, he studied at Birkbeck College. There, he became friends with another writer, William Pett Ridgcap.
Starting His Writing Career
In 1879, Jacobs began working as a clerk. He worked at the Post Office Savings Bank. By 1885, he had his first short story published. But it took some time for him to become well-known.
By 1899, he was earning enough money from his writing. He was able to leave his job at the Post Office. This meant he could focus on writing full-time.
Jacobs's Famous Stories
Spooky and Funny Tales
Jacobs is best known for his scary story, "The Monkey's Paw". This story was published in 1902. It was part of a collection called The Lady of the Barge. He also wrote other ghost stories. These include "The Toll House" and "Jerry Bundler".
Most of his writing, however, was funny. He loved to write about life at sea. He wrote about "men who go down to the sea in ships." His first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, became very popular in 1896.
Characters and Settings
A writer named Michael Sadleir said Jacobs wrote three types of stories. Some were about sailors having adventures on land. Others were about clever people in slow-witted villages. And some were his famous spooky tales.
After Many Cargoes, Jacobs wrote a novel called The Skipper's Wooing in 1897. Then came another collection of short stories, Sea Urchins (1898). These books made him even more popular.
Other well-known titles include Captains All and Sailors' Knots. He also wrote Night Watches. This book featured a popular character: the night-watchman. This character worked on the wharf in Wapping. He would tell funny stories about his friends. These friends were Ginger Dick, Sam Small, and Peter Russet.
These three friends would come ashore after long trips. They would have money in their pockets. But the clever people in London's docklands often tricked them. They would lose their money because they were a bit foolish. Jacobs was very good at using the local language of the East End of London. Other writers, like P. G. Wodehouse, admired his style.
Jacobs's stories appeared in different magazines. Many were in The Idler. From 1898, his stories were often in The Strand. This magazine helped him earn a steady income for most of his life.
Plays and Later Life
Writing for the Stage
Jacobs wrote fewer short stories around the time of the First World War. He started focusing on plays instead. He would often turn his own short stories into plays.
His first play, The Ghost of Jerry Bundler, opened in London in 1899. He wrote 18 plays in total. Some of these he wrote with other writers.
Family and Home
In 1900, Jacobs married Agnes Eleanor Williams. Agnes was a suffragette. This meant she worked to get women the right to vote. They had two sons and three daughters.
The Jacobs family lived in Loughton, Essex. Jacobs loved the local forest scenery there. He even wrote about it in one of his stories. There is a special blue plaque on his house in Loughton. This plaque shows that a famous person lived there. Another blue plaque is on his London home.
Final Years
W. W. Jacobs passed away on September 1, 1943. He was 79 years old. An article in The Times newspaper described him as "quiet, gentle and modest." Another writer, Ian Hay, said Jacobs "invented an entirely new form of humorous narrative."
Film Adaptations
Many of W. W. Jacobs's stories have been made into films.
- 1922 A Master of Craft
- 1936 Our Relations, a Laurel and Hardy film based on his story "The Money Box".
- 1937 Beauty and the Barge
- 1955 Footsteps in the Fog, based on his short story "The Interruption".
- The Monkey's Paw has been made into several films. These include versions in 1915, 1923, 1933, 1948, and 2013.
Images for kids
-
Jacobs's baptism record
-
A drawing of W. W. Jacobs
See also
In Spanish: W. W. Jacobs para niños
- List of adaptations of The Monkey's Paw
- Patrick Wymark
- Olwen Wymark
