George Gissing (1857–1903) is counted alongside George Meredith and Thomas Hardy as one of the best novelists of his day. Ahead of his time, Gissing took on the fraudulence of religion, the struggle of emancipated women, working-class poverty, and marriage. Of the last two, Gissing’s story “Lou and Liz” is a fine example drawn from his own experience. He struggled financially nearly all his life and was married twice: once to a prostitute, who died from alcoholism, and then to a working-class woman, who was later certified insane.
WORKS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN NARRATIVE:
- New Grub Street, a novel excerpt, in Stories of the Week: 2017–2018
- Lou and Liz, a short story, in Stories of the Week: 2008–2009