Robert Hichens

Often overshadowed by his more famous contemporaries, Robert Smythe Hichens (1864-1950) was a prolific and successful British author whose work captured the anxieties and fascinations of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. While his name may not resonate as loudly today as those of Oscar Wilde or H. G. Wells, Hichens was a significant literary figure in his time, a master of a wide range of genres, from satirical fiction and psychological horror to travel writing and romance. His biography is a compelling story of a multi-talented artist who, despite achieving immense popularity, remained a somewhat enigmatic and private individual.

Born on November 14, 1864, in Speldhurst, Kent, Hichens came from a family that valued intellect and high-minded pursuits. His father, a canon, initially steered him toward an academic career at Oxford. However, Hichens’s true passions lay elsewhere. He was a gifted musician and chose to study at the Royal College of Music, an early sign of his independent and artistic spirit. While his musical talent was considerable, his interest eventually turned to writing. He began his career as a freelance journalist and short story writer, honing his craft before publishing his first novel, The Coastguard’s Secret, at the age of twenty-one.

Hichens’s first major success came with a book that would both define and, in some ways, haunt his career: The Green Carnation (1894). Published anonymously, this witty and biting satire was a thinly veiled parody of Oscar Wilde and his circle, particularly Wilde’s relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas. The novel captured the public imagination and was a sensation, but it also placed Hichens in an awkward position. The book’s success was tied directly to the scandal surrounding Wilde, and after Wilde’s downfall, Hichens distanced himself from the work. While The Green Carnation is still read today for its historical and literary significance, it unfairly pigeonholed Hichens as a one-hit wonder of Decadent literature, obscuring the breadth of his later work.

Hichens’s literary output was remarkably diverse. He wrote dozens of novels and short story collections, delving into themes of supernaturalism, psychological torment, and the clash between reason and emotion. His fascination with the occult and the inner workings of the human mind is evident in works like the supernatural novel Flames: A London Phantasy (1897) and the horror novella “How Love Came to Professor Guildea” (1897), both of which are still highly regarded by aficionados of the genre.

“How Love Came to Professor Guildea,” in particular, showcases Hichens’s talent for subtle and unsettling horror. The story centers on Professor Frederic Guildea, a cold, misanthropic psychologist who prides himself on his utter lack of sentiment and affection. He is a man of pure intellect, convinced that love is a useless emotion. His world is turned upside down when he becomes the target of a haunting by an invisible, idiotic, and malevolent entity that seeks to shower him with a sickeningly grotesque form of affection. The horror of the story lies not in ghouls or ghosts, but in the violation of the professor’s carefully constructed mental fortress and the unbearable intimacy of a love he despises. The tale’s clever inversion of horror tropes—with the skeptic as the haunted victim—and its exploration of the dark side of affection make it a masterpiece of psychological terror.

Beyond his contributions to the horror genre, Hichens was celebrated for his popular and often exotic adventure novels. The Garden of Allah (1904), set in the Sahara Desert, was a massive bestseller and was later adapted into a successful play and several films, including a famous 1936 version starring Marlene Dietrich and Charles Boyer. This novel exemplifies Hichens’s talent for creating vivid settings and exploring the tensions between spiritual devotion and carnal desire. His interest in travel and different cultures was a defining aspect of his life; he spent much of his later years living abroad, particularly in North Africa, Italy, and Switzerland.

Despite his public success, Hichens was a deeply private person. He never married and was a homosexual, a fact that was a subject of veiled speculation in his time and which likely contributed to his reclusive nature, especially in the wake of the Wilde scandal. His personal life remains largely a mystery, but his extensive travels and friendships with other writers and artists suggest a life rich in experience, even if it was kept from the public eye.

Hichens’s later career saw him continue to write prolifically. He even wrote a crime novel, The Paradine Case (1933), which was later adapted into a film by Alfred Hitchcock. He remained a well-regarded author into the 1940s, a testament to his longevity and ability to adapt to changing literary tastes. Robert Hichens died on July 20, 1950, in Zurich, Switzerland, leaving behind a vast body of work.

Though his name may have faded in comparison to others of his generation, Robert Hichens’s legacy endures in his best works. His satirical wit in The Green Carnation, his exotic flair in The Garden of Allah, and the bone-chilling terror of “How Love Came to Professor Guildea” all serve as reminders of a versatile and talented author who deserves to be rediscovered. His writing provides a fascinating window into the psychological, social, and cultural currents of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his biography is a testament to a writer who charted his own course, unafraid to explore the darkest corners of the human heart and mind