William Romaine Paterson Explained

William Romaine Paterson
Birth Date:	29 July 1871
Birth Place:	Glasgow, Scotland
Death Place:	Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, France
Occupation:	Writer
Education:	University of Glasgow

William Romaine Paterson (29 July 1871 – 3 December 1941) was a Scottish, Glasgow-based writer often using the pen name Benjamin Swift. He wrote novels, poems, essays, and short stories.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Biographical details

William Romaine Paterson was born in Glasgow on 29 July 1871.^[2] He lived at 25 University Gardens near the University of Glasgow.^{[1] [3]}

He received the MA degree from the University of Glasgow in 1894.^[3]

His mother was Marion Paterson.^[1] His father was Robert Paterson.^[3] His sister, Catherine Paterson, gifted part his archive to University of Glasgow Special Collections.^[1] He also had a brother, James Venn Paterson,^[1] and a nephew, James Paterson, Doctor of Laws.^[3]

He was interned in Vichy France during World War II.^[1] He died in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie on 3 December 1941.^[4]

Works

• Nancy Noon, 1896
• The Tormentor, 1897
• The Destroyer, 1898
• Dartnell: A Bizarre Incident, 1900
• Nude Souls, a novel, 1900
• The Eternal Conflict, an essay, 1901, 228pp.
• Ludus amoris, reprinted as The Game of Love, 1902
• In Piccadilly, 1903
• Gossip, 1905
• Life's questionings: A book of experience, a collection of author's aphorisms and apothegms 1905^[5]
• The Nemesis Of Nations: Studies In History, 1907
  • From the preface: "...a humble attempt is made to utilise part of the expert evidence for the purpose of forming some opinions on the life and death of nations." Chapters: I. Introduction, II. Hindustan, III. Babylon, IV. Greece, V. Rome.^[6]
• The Death Man, 1908
• The Lady of the Night, 1913
• What Lies Beneath, 1917
• Siren City, 1923
• The Old Dance Master, 1923
• Problems of Destiny, an essay, 1935

External links

• "Material relating to William Romaine Paterson", University of Glasgow, Special Collections

Notes and References

1. Web site: Papers of William Romaine Paterson, 1871-1942, novelist 'Benjamin Swift' . . 2024-02-22.
2. Web site: William Romaine Paterson (1871–1942) . . 2024-02-22., citing The Reader's Dictionary of Authors, 1917
3. Web site: William Romaine Paterson . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220121090547/https://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH15414&type=P . 2022-01-21 . dead . 2024-02-22.
4. Book: UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628–1969, Class: RG 32, Piece: 27 . The National Archives of the UK . Ancestry.com.
5. https://books.google.com/books?id=x_aMe9Az4nAC&pg=PA782 A review of Life's questionings
6. https://books.google.com/books?id=uCM9AQAAIAAJ The Nemesis of Nations