By Nava Atlas | On May 9, 2018 | Updated August 17, 2022 | Comments (2)
Miles Franklin (October 14, 1879 – September 19, 1954) was an Australian author of novels and nonfiction, born Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin.
Her best-known novel, My Brilliant Career, is the story of a teenage girl growing up in the Australian bush who longs to break free as her own person. Franklin wrote it while still in her teens and was just twenty-one when it was published in 1901.
Franklin’s literary career was long but uneven, alternating great gaps with almost feverish output. A need to support herself compelled her to work in a number of odd jobs, though she often made use of her experiences in her storytelling. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On May 8, 2018 | Updated December 24, 2025 | Comments (0)
Kate Chopin (February 8, 1850 – August 22, 1904) was an American author who made her mark writing fiction that was regional in character, yet universal in nature.
Chopin’s best known work is The Awakening, an 1899 novella that was controversial from the time it was published in 1899. The reception of The Awakening, which was negative overall, along with the shockwaves it produced discouraged Chopin. Her output slowed considerably in its aftermath, and its erasure was hastened by her premature death just five years after its publication.
Chopin earned her due only decades after her death when her body of work was resurrected and reconsidered. The Awakening now considered an American classic and a staple in feminist literature. Her other works of fiction, which skewed to short stories, are held in similar high esteem. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On May 7, 2018 | Updated October 26, 2024 | Comments (2)
Elizabeth Gaskell (née Elizabeth Cleghorn Stevenson, September 29, 1810 – November 12, 1865) was a British author known for short stories and novels focusing on social classes.
In literary circles and beyond, she was often referred to simply as “Mrs. Gaskell.”
The upheaval of class boundaries, the industrialization of England, religion, and women’s issues in the Victorian era were all themes of her work. Elizabeth’s mother died a year or so after giving birth to her. Her father, a Unitarian minister, wasn’t able to care for her, so she was sent to live with an aunt. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On May 2, 2018 | Updated August 30, 2023 | Comments (0)
Anna Sewell (March 30, 1820 – April 25, 1878) was a British novelist who had only one published book — Black Beauty — to her name.
But what a book it is — a timeless classic that has enthralled generations of readers with its message of compassion toward animals.
Anna was born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk in England, into a family that was devoutly Quaker. Her mother, Mary Wright Sewell (who outlived her daughter by a few years) was herself an author of poetry and children’s books. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On April 26, 2018 | Updated March 25, 2024 | Comments (0)
Aphra Behn (December 14, 1640 –April 16, 1689) was a playwright, poet, and novelist known for being the first British woman to earn her living by her writing.
Born in Wye, Kent, England, as a child she was taken to Suriname (presumably by her parents), which at the time was an English possession.
While there, Aphra discovered the legend of the African prince Oroonoko and his beloved Imoinda. This later inspired what became her best-known novel, Oroonoko. She also has the distinction of being the first British woman to earn her living by her writing.
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