By Nava Atlas | On May 18, 2018 | Updated August 24, 2022 | Comments (0)
Susanna Rowson (n.d., c. 1762 – March 2, 1824) was an American-British author and actress, best known for Charlotte Temple, America’s first bestselling novel.
She was born in Portsmouth, England, the only daughter of British Navy Lieutenant William Haswell and Susanna Musgrave Haswell, who died within days of giving birth to her.
While stationed in Boston, her father met his second wife, with whom he had three sons. After being appointed a Boston customs officer, the family settled nearby. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On May 10, 2018 | Updated April 28, 2025 | Comments (0)
Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American poet long regarded as a major twentieth-century figure in the genre.
Wildly popular in her lifetime, she fell out of favor after her death, but is now being reconsidered — read, studied, and growing (or re-growing) in regard in the field of poetry.
Her middle name really was an homage to the New York City’s St. Vincent’s hospital, where the life of an uncle was saved before she was born. After her parents were divorced, there was minimal contact with their father. Her mother, Cora, was frequently away from home, on the road as a visiting nurse. Read More→
By Nava Atlas | On May 9, 2018 | Updated August 15, 2026 | 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 August 15, 2026 | 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 negative reception of The Awakening, 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. 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→
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