The Fallen Leaves - Collins, Wilkie

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Biographie:
Born in London in 1824, Wilkie Collins was the son of landscape painter William Collins and his wife, Harriet Geddes. His early exposure to art and culture, including time spent in Italy and France, influenced his literary pursuits. Initially working as a tea merchant, Collins eventually turned to writing, publishing his first novel, Antonina, in 1850.Collins's friendship with Charles Dickens, whom he met in 1851, significantly impacted his career. Dickens became both a mentor and collaborator, with Collins contributing to Dickens's journals and co-writing plays. During the 1860s, Collins achieved fame with novels like The Woman in White and The Moonstone, the latter often regarded as the first modern detective novel.Despite his literary success, Collins faced personal challenges, including health issues that led to laudanum addiction. He maintained unconventional relationships with two women, Caroline Graves and Martha Rudd, fathering three children with Rudd. Collins continued to write until his death in 1889, leaving a lasting legacy in the mystery and detective genres....

Sommaire:
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright best known for The Woman in White (1859), a mystery and early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), which established many of the ground rules of the modern detective novel and may be the first clear example of the police procedural genre. Born to London painter William Collins and his wife, Harriet Geddes, he moved to Italy with them when he was twelve years old, spending two years there and in France learning both Italian and French. Collins was born at 11 New Cavendish Street in London, the son of William Collins, a well-known Royal Academician landscape painter, and his wife, Harriet Geddes. Named after his father, he quickly became recognized by his second name, which honors his godfather, painter David Wilkie. The family relocated to Pond Street, Hampstead, around 1826. In 1828, Collins' brother Charles Allston Collins was born. Between 1829 and 1830, the Collins family relocated twice: first to Hampstead Square and subsequently to Porchester Terrace in Bayswater. Wilkie and Charles received an early education from their mother at home. The Collins family was very religious, and Collins' mother insisted on strict church attendance for her boys, which Wilkie detested....