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August 14, 1867


John Galsworthy (August 14, 1867 to January 31, 1933) wrote about his own social world, in his novels. The Forsyte Saga series, adapted for television by the BBC in 1967 (26 episodes) formed part of the American dream of England as a huge theme park with scenery that ranges from cottages to manor houses, a pastoral gamut barely tied down anywhere to reality.

It is perhaps a surprise then to find out, as James Gindin notes, in The English Climate: an Excursion into a Biography of John Galsworthy (1979),  that his neighbors recall his dogs, and specifically a Bedlington terrier with a reputation as a cat-killer, as intimidating. Galsworthy's own saga though also includes working for reform of the way animals are treated. And his books refer often to cats, often when describing women.
 

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