By Skyler Gomez | On June 17, 2017 | Updated October 19, 2022 | Comments (0)
Laura Z. Hobson grew up on Long Island raised by parents who fled czarist Russia. She started her career writing for Time, Life and Fortune magazines until she became a full-time novelist with the publication of Gentlemen’s Agreement, the classic novel of “polite” antisemitism in post-World War II America.
Hobson studied at Cornell University, was a single mother of two sons, and wrote novels based on her life experiences and observations. Here’s a selection of quotes by Laura Z. Hobson, displaying her wisdom on humanity in general and her writing life in particular. Read More→
By Emma Ward | On June 15, 2017 | Updated August 12, 2025 | Comments (1)
Radclyffe Hall (1880 – 1943) was born in Hampshire, England and self-identified as a “congenital invert.” In the early 20th century this was her best (and perhaps only) option for describing what she described as a man’s soul born into a woman’s body, and vice versa.
She wrote about elements that were present in her life; for example, wealthy upper-class lifestyle, English culture and her attraction to women. Hall frequently dressed in masculine garb and called herself John.
Hall’s most famous work,The Well of Loneliness (1928) draws on her own life, as it features a lesbian from an upper class family in England. The main character, Stephen Gordon, lives with her partner, Mary Llewellyn. Read More→
By Emma Ward | On June 14, 2017 | Updated November 22, 2025 | Comments (1)
George Eliot (1819 –1880) was the masculine pen name of Mary Ann Evans, the esteemed British author of Victorian-era novels. Her writing was political and creative, inspired by art, psychology, and current events.
Her novels were critically acclaimed and sold well upon publication. From Adam Bede (1859) through Daniel Deronda (1876), George Eliot was at her most productive.
These books, along with The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Romola, and Middlemarch are considered some of the finest and most important literary works in British literature. Read More→
By Emma Ward | On June 13, 2017 | Updated October 19, 2022 | Comments (0)
Elizabeth Gaskell (1810 – 1865) incorporated three major social themes for her time including the upheaval of class boundaries, the industrialization of England, and women’s issues in the Victorian era. Following is a selection of quotes from Elizabeth Gaskell’s highly-regarded novels, with special emphasis on North and South.
Mrs. Gaskell, as she was known in the literary world, grew up in England with her aunt who encouraged her reading and writing interests. Her work was first published in Household Words and Blackwood’s magazine, among others once she began to make literary connections with other well-known authors.
North and South, Cranford, Wives and Daughters, and Mary Barton still rank among the finest novels in English literature, even though Mrs. Gaskell doesn’t receive as much attention as do some of her British contemporaries to this day.
Read More→
By Emma Ward | On June 12, 2017 | Updated February 6, 2024 | Comments (0)
Lorraine Hansberry was best known for A Raisin in the Sun (1959), the first play written by a Black woman to be staged on Broadway. The following quotes by Lorraine Hansberry demonstrate her exceptional talent.
Hansberry won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and numerous other honors for this play, which has been made twice into feature films and continues to be staged around the world.
Among her other well-known works were To Be Young, Gifted and Black (both a stage play and a book) and Les Blancs. She also wrote political essays for magazines and journals, and was active in the pursuit of race and gender equality. She died prematurely of cancer at age 34, leaving a lasting legacy in the theatrical world.
Read More→
Categories: 
Comments: