Charles Robert Maturin Biography

Charles Maturin was an Irish Protestant clergyman and author of gothic plays and novels. His early works, published under a pseudonym, met with critical and commercial failure but garnered the attention of influential literary figures. With their support, his play Bertram found a wider audience and achieved success, though financial gain eluded him due to family obligations and unfavorable reviews. These circumstances compelled him to rely solely on writing, shifting from plays to novels after a string of theatrical failures, with one novel later earning admiration from authors like Honoré de Balzac and Charles Baudelaire.