User:DeMuphry/sandbox

Matthew Plampin (born 1975) is a British writer of historical fiction. His first novel, The Street Philosopher, was published by HarperCollins in 2009. His most recent book, Mrs Whistler, was published in 2018 by The Borough Press, an imprint of HarperFiction.

Biography
Matthew Plampin grew up near Maldon, Essex. He studied English and History of Art at the University of Birmingham, before completing a PhD on Victorian cultural history at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. He has lectured on nineteenth-century art and architecture.

Works
Matthew Plampin's novels to date have all been set in the 'long nineteenth century'.
 * The Street Philosopher (HarperCollins 2009) moves from the battlefields of the Crimean War to the 1857 Art Treasures of Great Britain exhibition in Manchester. The book was picked as one of Waterstone’s New Voices 2009.
 * The Devil’s Acre (HarperCollins 2010) refers to a Victorian rookery (slum) near Westminster Abbey, in London, where much of the narrative takes place. The book was originally titled The Gun-Maker’s Gift, a reference to American inventor Samuel Colt, who established a factory in Pimlico near Vauxhall Bridge. The book was picked for the More4 TV Book Club Summer Read.
 * Illumination (HarperCollins 2013) is set during the Siege of Paris (1870–71), with an escape in a balloon over the lines of the besieging Prussian Army.
 * Will & Tom (The Borough Press 2015) is about the professional rivalry that developed between artists J. M. W. Turner and Tom Girtin during a stay at Harewood House near Leeds.
 * Mrs Whistler (The Borough Press 2018) is based on the life of artist James McNeill Whistler and his muse and model Maud Franklin. The story revolves around the libel case Whistler brought against art critic John Ruskin. It was shortlisted for the 2019 HWA Crown awards. The cover of the book is decorated with a peacock, a nod to Whistler's work The Peacock Room.

Themes
Elements that are common to the novels are plotlines involving artworks and artists, evocative descriptions of cityscapes and warfare, and Victoriana.

Other writing

 * "From Rio to Romola: Morality and Didacticism in the English Appreciation of Early Italian Art 1836-1863", University of Plymouth, 2001.
 * "'A Stern and Just Respect for Truth': John Ruskin, Giotto and the Arundel Society", Visual Culture in Britain, 2005, 6:59-78.
 * "Exhibiting the avant-garde: the development of the Pre-Raphaelite 'brand'", in Giebelhausen, M., and T. J. Barringer (eds), Writing the Pre-Raphaelites: Text, Context, Subtext, Farnham, England: Ashgate Pub. Co, 2009.
 * "How to cook horsemeat – three thrifty recipes", The Guardian, London, 17 January 2013. Retrieved on 23 April 2020.
 * "Underground: Tales for London podcast – District line by Matthew Plampin", The Evening Standard, London, 25 April 2018. Retrieved on 23 April 2020.