A writer between countries
Crawford was born in Italy to American parents, the sculptor Thomas Crawford and Louisa Ward. Education in several countries and study of languages preceded work in India and the United States. Journalism and criticism formed part of his early career before success as a novelist.
After marrying in 1884 he settled near Sorrento, which remained his home. His prolific output included novels set in Italy and elsewhere, supernatural stories, plays and historical studies. The Huntington’s manuscripts preserve extensive corrections and additions, giving evidence of the work behind that output. His Italian home and international connections also appear in correspondence preserved by other collections.
Longing and the city
The Witch of Prague calls itself A Fantastic Tale. The Macmillan copy held here is dated 1901. Its opening church scene surrounds the Wanderer with pillars, bodies, light and organ music, but his attention narrows to a voice he believes he recognises. An immense public space becomes the setting for an intensely private pursuit.
The distance between hearing, recognition and actual encounter gives the search its urgency. Crowds and architectural obstacles interrupt what desire has made seem certain. Later reflections connect the disappearance of hope with the loss of direction in a life. Crawford grounds the fantastic possibilities in this emotional pressure, allowing the city to become both a promise and an obstruction.
