(1846-1929)

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English novelist, playwright, and journalist. Her gothic fantasy ‘The New Mother’ follows two girls' descent into darkness and disruptive behaviour in order to gain the favour of a mysterious girl they met in the woods. 

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Clifford's husband (the mathematician William Kingdon Clifford) died in 1879, just four years after their marriage. This left her alone with their two children, so she turned to writing to support herself and family. Fortunately, Clifford had a group of literary friends, including the prominent author Henry James, who wrote stories such as The Turn of the Screw. 

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In 1882, she published a collection of short stories called Anyhow Stories. This marked a breakthrough for her career, but some reviewers were horrified by the things she inflicted upon her fictional child characters. 

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