1867-1933. British novelist and dramatist
whose work examines the social issues of the
Victorian period. He is best known for The
Forsyte Saga 1922 and its sequel A Modern
Comedy 1929. Other novels include The Country
House 1907 and Fraternity 1909; plays include
The Silver Box 1906. Born in Kingston,
Surrey, Galsworthy first achieved success
with The Man of Property 1906, the first
instalment of the Forsyte series, which
included In Chancery and To Let. Soames
Forsyte, the central character, is the
embodiment of Victorian values and feeling
for property, and the wife whom he also
`owns' - Irene - was based on Galsworthy's
wife. Later additions to the series are A
Modern Comedy 1929, which contained The White
Monkey, The Silver Spoon, and Swan Song, and
the short stories On Forsyte Change 1930.