W.S. Gilbert
Subtitle: a classic Victorian and his theatre
By: Jane W. Stedman.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1996
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 374
Subjects: Gilbert, W. S. 1836-1911; Theater -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century; Dramatists, English -- 19th century -- Biography; Librettists -- Great Britain -- Biography; Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901 -- Biography
Other titles: WS Gilbert
Description: Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) was the most brilliant dramatist of Victorian England. A daring and cynical playwright, the forerunner of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw, he was also a prolific journalist and humorous poet (his Bab Ballads are still widely read), and he achieved worldwide fame through his long collaboration with the composer Arthur Sullivan, a collaboration that created such classics as H. M. S. Pinafore, The Mikado, and all the other Savoy operas.

Now the story of this remarkable writer's life - and of his stormy relationship with Sullivan - is here chronicled by a renowned authority on Gilbert and on the theatrical and literary scene in Victorian London. For this biography, Jane W. Stedman has returned to original sources, has interviewed survivors, and has scoured a whole variety of Victorian periodicals for reviews, and personal comment. Gilbert emerges as a much more complex and interesting figure than has previously been thought.

The book is a worthy companion piece to Arthur Jacobs's recent biography Arthur Sullivan: A Victorian Musician.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 351-360) and index.