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As an Ulsterman who was averse to both oriental mysticism and the formal interest in psychical research espoused by many contemporary English writers, Forrest Reid may appear out of place in a volume on British novelists. Early in his career, however, Reid broke from the Irish Literary Revival's tradition and spurned the Northern Irish Ulster Renaissance. Indeed, in Cavalcade of the English Novel (1954), the American critic Edward Wagenknecht labels Reid "one of the outstanding individualists among contemporary British novelists." His lack of popularity can be explained, too, by the narrow range of his subjects; by the controversial relationships depicted, especially following Oscar Wilde's trial in 1895 and Britain's Censorship Bill (1928) forbidding writing about "non-normal" behavior; by what E. M. Forster called Reid's inability "to pull wires or advertise himself"; and by his persistence in remaining, unknown, in Belfast despite attempts, notably by Walter de la Mare, to resettle him in England.
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