Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm was born in London, England, on August 24, 1872. He was the youngest son of Henry Beerbohm, a grain merchant, and his second wife, Eliza Draper. Educated at Charterhouse School and Merton College, Oxford, Beerbohm soon distanced himself from formal academic studies to dedicate himself to the arts and writing. He gained fame as one of the finest essayists in English literature, known for his ironic style, his sharp observations on society, and his polished prose. "Zuleika Dobson," his only novel, is a comic fantasy set in Oxford. As a theater critic, Beerbohm was respected for his intelligence and wit. His caricatures, published in newspapers and magazines, humorously and insightfully portrayed literary, political, and social figures of his time, including Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and Theodore Roosevelt. He was knighted in 1939. Sir Max Beerbohm died in Rapallo, Italy, on October 20, 1956.