Gilbert E. Cannan, playwright, novelist, critic, poet, and barrister, was born in Manchester. He was the second son of Henry Cannan, a shipping clerk, and Violet Wright Cannan. His people were well brought up, well read, and well educated but penurious. His paternal grandfather, James Cannan, was a provincial journalist, bank clerk, and drama critic for the Manchester City News.

At an early age Cannan felt out of sympathy with his family and liked to think of himself as a changeling. His brilliant elder brother, Angus, seemed to overshadow him. His warmhearted, impulsive mother, whose family was increasing rapidly, could spare him little of her time. Finding it difficult to communicate with children of his own age, Cannan often retreated into illness. Some symptoms of the mental instability that would cause a major breakdown in 1917 became evident. In 1897 when Cannan was thirteen it was decided that he should...