Horace Walpole biography

Horace Walpole was an English writer, art historian, and politician who transformed the literary landscape by inventing the Gothic novel. The youngest son of Britain's first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, Horace was born into a world of immense privilege and political influence. He was educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, before embarking on a Grand Tour of Europe, which deeply influenced his aesthetic sensibilities.

Walpole is best known for his 1764 novel, The Castle of Otranto. By blending elements of medieval romance with contemporary realism and the supernatural, he created the blueprint for Gothic fiction, influencing everyone from Mary Shelley to Bram Stoker. Beyond his writing, he was a prolific letter-writer; his correspondence provides one of the most detailed social and political records of the 18th century.

His most tangible legacy is Strawberry Hill, his eccentric villa in Twickenham. He transformed the house into a "Gothic castle," sparking the Gothic Revival in architecture. A lifelong bachelor and a Member of Parliament for 27 years, Walpole was a true polymath whose obsession with the "gloomth" of the past shaped the future of Western horror and design.

All Horace Walpole Reviews