George Eliot was the pen name used by the English writer Mary Ann Evans (1819–1880). She used her real name as a translator, editor and critic, and used the pen name George Eliot for her fiction.

By her own account her first literary works were translations of theological and philosophical works, which influenced her work as a fiction writer. She also led a life defying the conventions of her time.

Mary Ann Evans received a good education and was a voracious reader. Her father was the estate manager of the Arbury Hall Estate (in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England) and she had access to the large library of the estate, including many Greek classics. Read More→