Scottish novelist who was instrumental in the realistic literature movement of the early 20th century. Educated at Glasgow University and Balliol College, Oxford, he was a brilliant student who won many awards. After graduation in 1895 he travelled to London to write for metropolitan newspapers, eventually becoming a publisher's reader.

Douglas' novel The House With the Green Shutters (1901), one of the first literary works to forego romance or adventure, received much attention for its realistic study of contemporary Scottish life. Another novel, Love and a Sword (1899), was not nearly so influential. He died suddenly, at the height of his career.