One of the most famous English novelists and playwrights of the early 20th century, Galsworthy was born in Kingston Hills, Surrey. He turned to literature after he met Joseph Conrad on a voyage. He wrote his early works under the pen name John Sinjohn. In 1929, Galsworthy was awarded the Order of Merit and won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1932. Galsworthy is known for his portrayal of the English upper classes and for his social satire. He also wrote historical novels, from Victorian times through the first quarter of the 20th Century. His most famous work is his novel series The Forsyte Saga (1906 – 1922). He continued to write about the Forsyte family throughout his life. The Forsyte works include: The Man of Property (1906), Indian Summer of a Forsyte, In Chancery (1920), Awakening (1920), and To Let (1921). His other works The White Monkey (1924), The Silver Spoon (1926), and Swan Song (1928) were published under the title A Modern Comedy (1929).