Beerbohm, Max (Sir)

1872

1956

Max Beerbohm was born in London in Palace Gardens Terrace in 1872, son of a corn merchant from the Baltic who had settled in England. After receiving his education at Charterhouse and Merton College, Oxford, he came to know, through Sir William Rothenstein, Aubrey Beardsley and Oscar Wilde. He made a short visit to the United States as secretary to his half-brother, the actor, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. Returning to London he succeeded Bernard Shaw as dramatic critic of the “Saturday Review” in 1898. Beerbohm became friendly with a number of leading literary men of the day including Henry James, Swinburne and G.K. Chesterton. In 1910 he married the actress Florence Kahn and they went to live in Italy. Beerbohm is chiefly remembered for the polished and witty style evident in his novel, “Zuleika Dobson”, in his collection of stories, “Seven Men”, and in his innumerable caricatures.