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'''Talbot Mundy''' was the nom de plume of William Lancaster Gribbon (April 23, 1879 – August 5, 1940), an English novelist and short story writer. He was a friend of [[Katherine Tingley]] and joined the [[Point Loma]] community. According to Emmett Greenwalt,
[[Category:Writers|Mundy, Talbot]]
 
[[Category:Fiction writers|Mundy, Talbot]]
<blockquote>
[[Category:TS Point Loma|Mundy, Talbot]]
Mundy was born in London in 1879, educated at Rugby, and served as a government official in India and South Africa. He became fascinated by the occult in the Orient, and his curiosity drew him also to Mexico, as far south as Yucatan. He arrive in the United states about 1911 and decided to become an American citizen.<ref>Emmett A. Greenwalt, ''California Utopia: Point Loma: 1897-1942'' 2nd revised edition (San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1978), 114.</ref>
[[Category:Nationality English|Mundy, Talbot]]
</blockquote>
[[Category:Pseudonyms|Munday, Talbot]]
'''Talbot Mundy''' was the nom de plume of William Lancaster Gribbon (April 23, 1879 – August 5, 1940), an English novelist and short story writer. He was a friend of [[Katherine Tingley]] and joined the [[Point Loma]] community.


== Life at Point Loma ==
== Life at Point Loma ==
During the 1920s, Munday purchased "the Cliffs" on the [[Point Loma]] estate. He joined [[Katherine Tingley|Katherine Tingley's]] cabinet and wrote for her magazines.<ref>Emmett A. Greenwalt, ''California Utopia: Point Loma: 1897-1942'' 2nd revised edition (San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1978), 114-115.</ref>


[[Ted G. Davy]] quoted a letter from [[Boris de Zirkoff]] about the writer:
[[Ted G. Davy]] quoted a letter from [[Boris de Zirkoff]] about the writer:
Line 18: Line 17:
== Writings ==
== Writings ==


His adventure writings were influential to many writers of science fiction and fantasy. He also wrote under the pseudonym Walter Galt.
Mundy's best-known novel was '''''King of the Khyber Rifles''''' (New York, 1916), which became a Hollywood film in 1953. His adventure writings were influential to many writers of science fiction and fantasy. He also wrote under the pseudonym Walter Galt. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists 37 articles under the name [http://www.austheos.org.au/cgi-bin/ui-csvsearch.pl?search=talbot+mundy&method=exact Talbot Munday].


<blockquote>
Of the half-dozen novels written while he was an active member of the Hill [Lomaland], perhaps '''''Om, the Secret of Ahbor Valley''''' (Indianapolis, 1923), most clearly shows the theosophical influence. As James Hilton was to do after him, Mundy picked Tibet as the locale for his mystic tale. it followed the now familiar pattern of an Englishman, dissatisfied with the indoctrination of empire, who chose to sit at the feet of a wise old lama and learn of the Masters...
<br>
<br>
After the death of Katherine Tinlgey in 1929, Mundy drifted away from Point Loma, although he remained sympathetic with the teachings of Theosophy. His books sold well, and he continued writing and publishing almost to the day of his death in 1940, producing about thirty-five principal works in all.
<br>
<br>
It is probably too early to assess the literary importance of Talbot Mundy, but there is some basis of comparison between him and a novelist of the preceeding generation, [[Francis Marion Crawford]]. Both were world travelers; both were prolific in their output of novels; both enjoyed an international reading audience, some of Mundy's novels being translated into French and German, and his equally popular short stories into Swedish Hindustani, and Japanese. Neither has yet been considered an author of the first rank, and time must tell whether Mundy's position will reach even that of Crawford's Yet both served to focus the novel-reading eyes of the West upon the occult claims of the East.<ref>Emmett A. Greenwalt, ''California Utopia: Point Loma: 1897-1942'' 2nd revised edition (San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1978), 1115.</ref>
</blockquote>
== Notes ==
== Notes ==
<references/>
<references/>
[[Category:Writers|Mundy, Talbot]]
[[Category:Fiction writers|Mundy, Talbot]]
[[Category:Point Loma|Mundy, Talbot]]
[[Category:Nationality English|Mundy, Talbot]]
[[Category:Pseudonyms|Munday, Talbot]]

Revision as of 03:10, 10 July 2014

Talbot Mundy was the nom de plume of William Lancaster Gribbon (April 23, 1879 – August 5, 1940), an English novelist and short story writer. He was a friend of Katherine Tingley and joined the Point Loma community. According to Emmett Greenwalt,

Mundy was born in London in 1879, educated at Rugby, and served as a government official in India and South Africa. He became fascinated by the occult in the Orient, and his curiosity drew him also to Mexico, as far south as Yucatan. He arrive in the United states about 1911 and decided to become an American citizen.[1]

Life at Point Loma

During the 1920s, Munday purchased "the Cliffs" on the Point Loma estate. He joined Katherine Tingley's cabinet and wrote for her magazines.[2]

Ted G. Davy quoted a letter from Boris de Zirkoff about the writer:

Talbot Mundy was an old friend of mine (much older than myself, of course); we became pals in Point Loma when I arrived there. He was a royal sort of chap! ... You may know that his book Om was written in Point Loma, and some of its characters are taken from the residents there. Many of the "Lama's" sayings are Katherine Tingley's sayings and thoughts.[3]

Writings

Mundy's best-known novel was King of the Khyber Rifles (New York, 1916), which became a Hollywood film in 1953. His adventure writings were influential to many writers of science fiction and fantasy. He also wrote under the pseudonym Walter Galt. The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists 37 articles under the name Talbot Munday.

Of the half-dozen novels written while he was an active member of the Hill [Lomaland], perhaps Om, the Secret of Ahbor Valley (Indianapolis, 1923), most clearly shows the theosophical influence. As James Hilton was to do after him, Mundy picked Tibet as the locale for his mystic tale. it followed the now familiar pattern of an Englishman, dissatisfied with the indoctrination of empire, who chose to sit at the feet of a wise old lama and learn of the Masters...

After the death of Katherine Tinlgey in 1929, Mundy drifted away from Point Loma, although he remained sympathetic with the teachings of Theosophy. His books sold well, and he continued writing and publishing almost to the day of his death in 1940, producing about thirty-five principal works in all.

It is probably too early to assess the literary importance of Talbot Mundy, but there is some basis of comparison between him and a novelist of the preceeding generation, Francis Marion Crawford. Both were world travelers; both were prolific in their output of novels; both enjoyed an international reading audience, some of Mundy's novels being translated into French and German, and his equally popular short stories into Swedish Hindustani, and Japanese. Neither has yet been considered an author of the first rank, and time must tell whether Mundy's position will reach even that of Crawford's Yet both served to focus the novel-reading eyes of the West upon the occult claims of the East.[4]

Notes

  1. Emmett A. Greenwalt, California Utopia: Point Loma: 1897-1942 2nd revised edition (San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1978), 114.
  2. Emmett A. Greenwalt, California Utopia: Point Loma: 1897-1942 2nd revised edition (San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1978), 114-115.
  3. Ted G. Davy, "Notes and Comments by the General Secretary", The Canadian Theosophist 62.2 (May-June 1981), 35.
  4. Emmett A. Greenwalt, California Utopia: Point Loma: 1897-1942 2nd revised edition (San Diego, CA: Point Loma Publications, 1978), 1115.