| Robert Barr (1849-1912) was a Scottish-Canadian short story writer and novelist, born in Glasgow, Scotland who relocated to London in 1881 where he founded the magazine 'The Idler' in 1892 in collaboration with Jerome K Jerome. In 1895 he retired from its co-editorship and became a prolific novelist. His famous detective character Eugéne Valmont, fashioned after Sherlock Holmes, is said to be the inspiration behind Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. Some of his works include: 'In the Midst of Alarms', a story of the attempted Fenian invasion of Canada in 1866; 'A Woman Intervenes', a story of love, finance, and American journalism; and 'Countess Tekla', a historical novel. Mr. Robert Barr's ' Cardillac' is a machine-made historical tale of the time of King Louis XIII, set in old France. |
