Walter Herries Pollock was an English writer, poet, lecturer, and journalist who was a prominent figure in late nineteenth-century British letters. He is best remembered for his decade-long tenure as the editor of the Saturday Review, a position he held from 1884 to 1894. Beyond his editorial work, Pollock was a versatile author whose published output spanned from 1877 to 1920, encompassing novels, short stories, plays, poetry, and translations. He was also highly regarded outside of literature as one of the finest amateur fencers in Great Britain.
Deeply embedded in the Victorian literary scene, Pollock maintained close friendships with many of the era's most celebrated writers, including Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, Oscar Wilde, Egerton Castle, W. E. Henley, and Henry Irving. His collaborative spirit led him to work on various projects with other notable figures of his day, such as Alexander Duffield, Sir Walter Besant, Andrew Lang, F. C. Grove, Camille Prévost, and Lilian Moubrey.
Pollock belonged to the distinguished Pollock family; he was the second son of Sir William Frederick Pollock, 2nd Baronet, and the brother of the prominent lawyer Sir Frederick Pollock, 3rd Baronet. This legacy of intellectual and public service continued with his son, Guy Cameron Pollock, who became a well-known journalist and editor for major publications like the Evening Standard and the Morning Post. Father and son also collaborated creatively, co-authoring a novel together in 1905.
