A Quiet Corner in a Library

William Henry Hudson, born in South America of American parents, was both a naturalist and a novelist. He chose to serve each of two masters and reached distinction under both. His book The Purple Land (1885) is a story of Uruguay, "the land that England lost." A Crystal Age (1906) is a utopia, a picture of a paragon world. Green Mansions (1904), perhaps his best-known work, is an idyllic allegorical romance of South America. His autobiography, Far Away and Long Ago (1918), has a matchless charm. W. H. Hudson's Diary, 1874: Voyages from Buenos Aires to Southampton contains descriptions of great force and beauty. Hudson is a stylist whose books are rich in beautiful lyric prose. In all his works, he combined a gift for storytelling with a deep feeling for nature.