Author: Henry Charles Zerffi
Author: Henry Charles Zerffi (1851–1915)
Alternate Name(s): Henry Erroll (pseudonym)
Biography: Henry Charles Zerffi was born about 1851 in France or London, the son of the Hungarian journalist, educator, and revolutionary Gustav George Zerffi (1820–1892) and his French wife Josephine. He grew up in London where his father ran a school. At an early age he went into manufacturing, first hats and later photographic supplies. In 1876, he marred Lilian Atkins Bowyer and the couple had one son Henry. Zerffi turned his hand to fiction in the 1880s with three well-received novels all published by Bentley under the pseudonym "Henry Erroll." The pen name was a success since seemingly no one connected the author with the manufacturer, not even Bentley (all their correspondence was under the pen name). A few periodical contributions aside, Zerffi gave up writing thereafter. He retired to Essex where he died in 1915. His son went on to marry the actress Enid Lorimer and served in the Great War. Sadly, his dispair enduring his own injuries and watching his mother's suffering from a terminal disease led him to shoot her and himself in 1926. Note: author identified through the Bentley Archive based on an address.
References: British Census (1881, 1891, 1901, 1911); Leeds Mercury (6 August 1926); Wellesley; Wikipedia
Fiction Titles:
- An Ugly Duckling. 3 vol. London: Bentley, 1887.
- The Academician. 3 vol. London: Bentley, 1888.
- By Woman's Favour. 3 vol. London: Bentley, 1890.