M. R. James

M. R. James was born into a highly religious family in Kent, England. He was born in a clergy house in Goodnestone, where his father was an Anglican clergyman. James himself remained devoutly religious throughout his entire life. James was three years old when the family moved to a different clergy house in Suffolk, where he spent the majority of his childhood. At age 11, he went to a prestigious boarding school in London and later attended Eton College in Berkshire. James then spent much of his adult life at Kings College, Cambridge as a student, fellow, and provost. Though James is known for his fiction writing and critics have called his ghost stories some of the best in the horror genre, his main life’s work was as a medieval scholar. His stories incorporate aspects of his research, tending to be based on historical legends or items. James was friends with his contemporaries at Kings College, but he was never known to have had any romantic relationships throughout his life. He died at age 73 from unknown causes in Eton, Berkshire.