Frances Hodgson Burnett

Biography

Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) was born in Manchester, England, emigrated to Tennessee at sixteen after her father's death left the family in poverty, and spent her adult life moving between England and America. She published her first story at eighteen to help support her family and never stopped working. She was twice married, twice divorced — unusual for a Victorian woman — and lost her beloved elder son Lionel to tuberculosis in 1890. The Secret Garden, published in 1911, is generally read as the culmination of her engagement with grief, with nature as healer, and with the power of directed mental attention. She spent her final years gardening in Long Island, New York.

Frances Hodgson Burnett at a glance