George Saintsbury

Introduction and Brief Biography of Honore De Balzac (Dodo Press) George Saintsbury

George Edward Bateman Saintsbury (1845-1933), was an English writer and critic. He began his literary career in 1875 as a critic for the Academy, and for ten years was actively engaged in journalism. In 1895 he became professor of rhetoric and English literature at the University of Edinburgh, a position he held until 1915. His first book, A Primer of French Literature (1880) and his Short History of French Literature (1882) were followed by a series of editions of French classics and of books and articles on the history of French literature. He subsequently produced some of his most important works, A History of Criticism (1900-1904), with the companion volume Loci Critici, Passages Illustrative of Critical Theory and Practice (1903), A History of English Prosody from the 12th Century to the Present Day (1906-1910) and The Later Nineteenth Century (1909). His Notes on a Cellar-Book (1920) is one of the greatest testimonials to drink and drinking in the history of wine writing.