E. Nesbit

Biography

Edith Nesbit (1858–1924), known as E. Nesbit, was a groundbreaking English author who virtually invented the modern children’s adventure novel. Born in London, she was also a political activist and co-founder of the Fabian Society. Nesbit’s genius lay in placing ordinary children in extraordinary magical situations while keeping their reactions believably real. Her witty, conversational narrative voice broke sharply with the moralizing tone of Victorian children’s literature. Works like the Psammead trilogy and The Railway Children have never gone out of print and influenced generations of fantasy writers including C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, and Edward Eager. She published over 60 books for children alongside poetry, novels for adults, and political writings.