Rossetti wrote wild, romantic and imaginative poetry that leaps off the page. Whether it’s her weird and wonderful epic poem, “The Goblin Market” or her beautiful, mysterious sonnets like “Remember”.  While her poetry still looms large in anthologies and collections of British poets, her own life was quieter, more retiring, especially in comparison to her bohemian and drug-addled artist brother and his artist pals, the Pre-Raphaelites. But her own life reveals some clues as to her inspiration for her lyrical masterpieces.   Papà - Gabriele Rossetti                    Mamma - Frances Polidori   She was born in London’s Italian quarter. One of three children, Christina was the youngest child. Their father, a Dante scholar...

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The name “Lucy Maud Montgomery” might not ring any bells for you, but everyone knows Anne of Green Gables - the beloved books and equally beloved tv series that came after.  But her creator had an interesting and varied life as well - with a lot of parallels to Anne’s.   Read on for a short biography of Canada’s most famous writer.   Young Lucy Lucy was born on Prince Edward Island in 1874. Her mother died when she was 21 months old, at which point she began living with her maternal grandparents. Her early years were solitary. She spent much time alone, creating imaginary friends for herself. This imaginary world was clearly what sparked her creativity. She kept a...

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  Although not always an easy read, Virginia Woolf is considered one of Britain’s greatest writers. And Woolf lived as she wrote - creating a life that could resemble as closely as possible the dream of a “room of one’s own”, where women could live and freely practice their artistic endeavours.   Read our short biography of one of Britain’s most acclaimed writers.   Virginia (left) with her older sister, Vanessa (right) Virginia was born Virginia Stephens in 1882 in Hyde Park, London to a wealthy family. Her father was a writer-historian and her mother was a celebrated Pre-Raphaelite model for painters such as Edward Burne-Jones. She was one of three children, as well as having several half brothers and...

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Books have the power to inspire us, to explore new ways of living, different points of view that can shock or comfort. Literature can be especially important to women, who can read to discover how to live well in a world that does not prioritise their needs or desires. Books can be an escape, or a way to find oneself.   Read about my top five favourite females characters in literature.     Jo March - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott     Nowadays, we have a plethora of books about ambitious and independent young women who strike out on their own to live a different kind of life. But back when it came out, Little Women’s Jo March...

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Shop here Anais Nin lived large and wrote it all down compulsively, even obsessively. Her life was a series of glamorous parties, tumultuous affairs, adventures so thrilling she just had to write them down. But her life wasn’t all about wild parties and affairs - she wrote to introspect and to explore her subconscious, becoming her own psychoanalyst. She wrote works of fiction as well as publishing her own diaries in numerous volumes. Even to those who haven’t read her writing, she is the symbol of a daring and uncompromising woman who lived and loved by her own rules.  But who is the real woman behind the exotic name and the steady gaze? Read our short bio on one of America’s...

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  “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” This deep and meaningful passage is often quoted, and serves as the inspirational for many people who are moving through grief, loss or other hardships. But who was the writer behind these comforting words? Read our mini biography of Elisabeth Kubler Ross, one of America’s eminent writers on grief. Elisabeth was born in 1926, one of a set of triplets. Experiencing life-threatening pneumonia...

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    Most people only know two things about Harper Lee - she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird and, until very recently, never published anything again. So who really was the person behind one of America’s greatest novels?   We love a writer shrouded in mystery. In a world saturated with celebrity authors who reveal seem to reveal all, there is something compelling about a writer who eschews fame and money for a private life. But Harper Lee was not a cipher, she was a real person. We still know little about her personal life, probably because she wanted it that way. Here is a short history of Harper Lee, one of America’s finest fiction writers.   Mockingbird was loosely...

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There are no shortage of inspirational Maya Angelou quotes to be found that are poignant and meaningful . As a memoirist, poet and activist Angelou words speak of joy and hope without shying away from the realities of life - especially her own. She has been described as “the Black woman’s poet laureate”, and one of the first Black female writers to discuss her personal life in searing honesty and frankness. She had a long and fascinating life which a pithy quotation cannot begin to encapsulate. Here is a brief biography and a primer on some of her most celebrated works. She was born in St Louis, Missouri in 1928, raised by both her parents and her paternal grandmother. She credits...

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