Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-13

under his own name. He had
written scholarly life of Browning,
published critical works on Heine
and Shelley, and done other work OF
good quality. But hardly had the first
Of Fiona Macleod's" prose poems APP
peared than their odd beauty and mys-
teal glamor made their supposed au-
thoress recognized as a new figure In
the literature Of her time. She was,
In fact, regarded by many literary
students as the greatest Celtic writer
since Ossian Macpherson. From the
first, however, II was believed that
Fiona Macleod" was pseudonym
and all sorts OF Wild guesses were made
at the true identity of the author
Fiona Macleod" was said to be n
daughter of Dr. Norman Macleod. W.
b. Yeats WAS credited with her work
she" was IN reality Arthur Symons:
Maud Come and NOrah Hopper. The
gueSsers got warmer however when
some of them asserted that the mys-
terlous authorizes was Mrs. William
Sharp, or a relative Of William Sharp.
AT this point a letter appeared In
the Athenaeum which Fiona Mac
leod's" publishers, who were quite dis
tinct from Sharp's publishers, declared
they had received from the "authoress''
herself In this Fiona Macleod" de-
Clared herself much annoyed at her
Identification with this or that man
or woman of letters ana continued u
give you authority 10 say definitely that
Fiona Macleod Is not any of those
with whom she has been Identified
that she writes only under the name
OF Fiona Macleod that the name is
her own and that all she asks il the
courtesy both OF good breeding and of
common sense
OF course, In writing this letter Sharp
simply He'd He believed, however,.
that he was justified In this course and
Il must be admitted that he slnned I'm
good company. Sir Walter Scott de-
MED categorically chat he was the
author Of "Wayerley" Charlotte Bronte
denied point blank 10 Thackeray that
she had written Jane Eyre" and
made no bones Of contradicting fatty
the runor that correctly connected his
name with AN Englishmaus Love-
Letters But. unlike these authors
Sharp Kept his pseudenymity NJ TO
the time Of his death.
It has already been stated that
Sharp's publishers were not those of
Fiona Macleod" and Chapman * Hall
who issued the supposed authoresses
works knew absolutely nothing about
their clients Identity. "She" wrote
them, generally from an Edlnburgh adj
dress and received checks 10 her Or
der which were returned. endorsed
With the fictitious name. An odd ex-
ample OF the wles sharp was forced
TO weave Is found In the autobiogranh-
cai notes which he authorized the ed
itcr OF who's Who TO publish under
his double pennames. The "recreatlons"
of William sharp are described as FREE
qgeDt change Of scene and environ
ment. In summer roaming. sailing and
swimming" The recreations OF Fiona
Macleod" are given as Sailing. hill
walks, listening
sharp suffered from almost continue
GUS ill-health, and like Stevenson. visit
ed many different parts OF the world
In the effort 10 Improve his physical
condition. one OF his first edltorshlps.
by the way, was that OF the boys pa
per In which Stevensons Treasure ISL
and FIRST appeared. Sharp had the
true poetic temperament ami was dis