Gilbert CannanGilbert Eric Cannan was a British author who lived from June 25, 1884, to June 30, 1955. Though he was born in Manchester and was of Scottish descent, he did not get along with his family. In 1897, he was sent to live with the economist Edwin Cannan n Oxford. He went to Manchester Grammar School and King's College, Cambridge for his education. He wanted to be a lawyer at first, but after a short time as an actor, he switched his focus to writing in 1908. It was as a translator and writer for London publications that Cannan got his start. A lot of his books are based on his own life, and they all fit together into a series called the Lawrie Saga, which is about a figure named Stephen Lawrie. Samuel Butler had a big impact on his writing. In a story in The Times in 1914, novelist Henry James named Cannan as one of four important new writers on the rise, along with D. H. Lawrence, Compton Mackenzie, and Hugh Walpole. He worked as a servant for J. M. Barrie and helped him fight against the Lord Chamberlain's attempts to shut down the theater. In 1909, Cannan started dating Barrie's wife, actress Mary Ansell. Ansell had been an actress herself and felt ignored in her marriage. Read More Read Less