Biography
One of the leading authors of the Victorian era, George Eliot wrote some of the best-loved novels in history. Born in 1819, Mary Ann Evans was an intelligent child and a voracious reader. Because her father considered her unattractive, and therefore unmarriageable, he invested considerable time and money in her education, an unusual decision for the time. She was formally educated until the age of 16, when, after the death of her mother, she returned home to care for her father.
After they moved to Coventry in 1841, Evans became friends with Charles and Cara Bray, a radical, free-thinking couple who would introduce the young Evans to a wide circle of radical thinkers. After her father’s death in 1849, she travelled to Switzerland with the Brays and lived abroad for a year.
After returning to London in 1850, Evans became intent on becoming a writer, having had some experience from translating foreign works. In 1851, she met George Henry Lewes; they moved in together 3 years later and went on to have three children, all while Lewes was married to another woman. The relationship caused a scandal, and was one of the factors for Evans choosing to write under a pen name.
In 1857, The Sad Fortunes Of The Reverend Amos Barton, was published. It was the first work to be written by George Eliot. Two years later, Adam Bede was published and became an instant success. When an importer claimed to have written the novel, Evans was forced to reveal her identity, but to her relief, her notoriety didn’t affect her popularity as a writer. Middlemarch, her most acclaimed novel, was published in 1871.
Pioneering realistic portrayals of everyday life and the motivations of ordinary people, George Eliot explored moral and social issues as well as controversial themes such as the role of women in society, religion and ambition. Timeless and relevant, her novels offer an insightful look into the complexities of human nature.
