Occupation writer Name John Metcalfe Nationality English Role Short story writer | Period 1925 Genre Science fiction | |
Died July 31, 1965, England, United Kingdom Nominations Governor General's Award for English-language fiction Books The Feasting Dead, Mountain Bike Fitness Tr, Apostolic Foundation of the Chr, The Smoking Leg - and, Of God or Man? Similar People Evelyn Scott, William Huntington, John Nelson Darby, Alexis Lykiard, John Piper | ||
William John Metcalfe (6 October 1891 – 31 July 1965) was a teacher, short story writer and novelist from England, who twice emigrated to the United States.
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Biography
John Metcalfe was born in Heacham, Norfolk, England, on 6 October 1891. He studied philosophy in the University of London, from which he graduated in 1913. Metcalfe then taught in Paris until 1914. During World War I, he served in the Royal Naval Division, the Royal Naval Air Service, and ultimately the Royal Air Force.
After the war, Metcalfe taught for five years at Highgate Junior School in London and began writing. His first book, The Smoking Leg and Other Stories, published in 1925, contains several noted stories, including the title story, "The Bad Lands", "Nightmare Jack" and "The Double Admiral". After its publication, he abandoned teaching to begin writing full-time.
Metcalfe emigrated to the United States in 1928, where he began writing Arm's Length while serving as a barge captain on the East River. On 17 March 1930, Metcalfe married the American novelist Evelyn Scott.
Metcalfe's second collection, Judas and Other Stories features several horror stories. These include "Mortmain", which is about a man who believes he is being haunted by the ghost of his wife's first husband.
After service in World War II in the British Royal Air Force, Metcalfe taught in schools in Dorset and Hampstead before returning to the United States, where he was a teacher in Connecticut and New York.
In the 1950s, Metcalfe discussed with August Derleth the possibility of having a third collection of his fiction published by Arkham House. This collection, (to be entitled The Feasting Dead and other Stories) was never published, but Arkham House did publish The Feasting Dead as a chapbook. Derleth also anthologised several of Metcalfe's stories in his anthologies.
Evelyn Scott died in August 1963, after suffering from heart disease, a lung tumor, and mental health problems. Metcalfe suffered a breakdown after her death and was hospitalized. On his release in October 1964 he returned to England, where he died on 31 July 1965 as the result of a fall.
Although Metcalfe is best known as an author of horror stories, he also wrote novels and some poetry. T. E. D. Klein has described Metcalfe as a "writer of subtle, finely crafted supernatural tales, many of them about lonely misfits out of step with their times." Brian Stableford noted how Metcalfe's stories "build up a unique sense of unease".