William Clark Russell

William Clark Russell, an English writer, was well known for his nautical fiction. Russell entered the Merchant Navy of the United Kingdom when he was 13 years old and served there for eight years. The trials of living at sea permanently harmed his health, but they also supplied him with material for a successful writing career. He published short tales, press pieces, historical essays, biographies, and a book of verse, but his novels, the most of which were set at sea, were his most well-known...See more

William Clark Russell, an English writer, was well known for his nautical fiction. Russell entered the Merchant Navy of the United Kingdom when he was 13 years old and served there for eight years. The trials of living at sea permanently harmed his health, but they also supplied him with material for a successful writing career. He published short tales, press pieces, historical essays, biographies, and a book of verse, but his novels, the most of which were set at sea, were his most well-known works. He also worked as a journalist, primarily as a nautical columnist for The Daily Telegraph. Russell advocated for better working conditions for merchant seamen, and his efforts impacted Parliamentary measures to prevent unscrupulous shipowners from exploiting their crews. The future King George V acknowledged his influence in this regard. Russell's contemporary fans included Herman Melville, Algernon Swinburne, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. William Russell was never able to forgive his father for his second marriage and abandoning his first family to start a new one with his second wife. Russell maintained his long-held animosity of his father and his new family until his father died in 1900. Not only did he not attend the funeral, but he also refused to acknowledge his half-brothers. See less