John Galsworthy

"One's eyes are what one is, one's mouth is what one becomes."

English novelist and playwright, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932.

Galsworthy's family, of Devonshire farming stock traceable to the 16th century, had made a comfortable fortune in property in the 19th century. His father was a solicitor. Educated at Harrow and New College, Oxford, Galsworthy was called to the bar in 1890. With a view to specializing in marine law, he took a voyage around the world, during which he encountered Joseph Conrad, then mate of a merchant ship. They became lifelong friends. Galsworthy found law uncongenial and took to writing. For his first works, From the Four Winds (1897), a collection of short stories, and the novel Jocelyn (1898), both published at his own expense, he used the pseudonym John Sinjohn. The Island Pharisees (1904) was the first book to appear under his own name.

The Man of Property (1906) began the novel sequence known as The Forsyte Saga, by which Galsworthy is chiefly remembered; others in the same series are “Indian Summer of a Forsyte” (1918, in Five Tales), In Chancery (1920), Awakening (1920), and To Let (1921). The saga chronicles the lives of three generations of a large, upper middle-class family at the turn of the century. Having recently risen to wealth and success in the profession and business world, the Forsytes are tenaciously clannish and anxious to increase their wealth. The novels imply that their desire for property is morally wrong. The saga intersperses diatribes against wealth with lively passages describing character and background. In The Man of Property, Galsworthy attacks the Forsytes through the character of Soames Forsyte, a solicitor who considers his wife Irene as a mere form of property. Irene finds her husband physically unattractive and falls in love with a young architect who dies. The other two novels of the saga, In Chancery and To Let, trace the subsequent divorce of Soames and Irene, the second marriages they make, and the eventual romantic entanglements of their children. The story of the Forsyte family after World War I was continued in The White Monkey (1924), The Silver Spoon (1926), and Swan Song (1928), collected in A Modern Comedy (1929). Galsworthy's other novels include The Country House (1907), The Patrician (1911), and The Freelands (1915).

Galsworthy was also a successful dramatist, his plays, written in a naturalistic style, usually examining some controversial ethical or social problem. They include The Silver Box (1906), which, like many of his other works, has a legal theme and depicts a bitter contrast of the law's treatment of the rich and the poor; Strife (1909), a study of industrial relations; Justice (1910), a realistic portrayal of prison life that roused so much feeling that it led to reform; and Loyalties (1922), the best of his later plays. He also wrote verse.

What are John Galsworthy's best-known works?

He is best known for The Forsyte Saga, beginning with The Man of Property and continuing through In Chancery, To Let, The White Monkey, The Silver Spoon and Swan Song. He also wrote notable plays such as The Silver Box, Strife, Justice and Loyalties, as well as short stories and verse. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1932.

What genres did Galsworthy write in?

He wrote novels, short stories, plays and verse. His dramatic work is naturalistic and his fiction is realist, often examining social and ethical issues.

What recurring themes appear in his work?

Common themes include critiques of property and wealth, family and social class, legal and judicial issues, industrial relations and broader ethical and social reform concerns.

Where should I start with The Forsyte Saga and what is a sensible reading order?

A good starting point is The Man of Property, followed by In Chancery and To Let. After those, continue with The White Monkey, The Silver Spoon and Swan Song. Some related short pieces such as Indian Summer of a Forsyte and Awakening are interspersed with the saga.

Which of Galsworthy's plays is a good introduction to his drama?

Justice is a strong introduction because of its realistic portrayal of prison life and its contemporary impact. The Silver Box is also recommended for its exploration of legal and social inequality.