Anna Sewell Author Of The Classic Novel Black Beauty

The author of the classic novel Black Beauty is Anna Sewell, who was a British writer. She was born on 30th March 1820 in a religious Quaker family in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Her childhood was spent in London and its suburbs. She had a brother named Philip who was a construction engineer in Europe, building railways.

Anna Sewell was highly influenced by her mother Marys religious and educational convictions while spending her entire life within her parents home. Till the age of 12, her education was supervised by her mother who emphasized on the attainment of the moral virtues and self-reliance and provided the children with few toys or storybooks. Anna instilled affinity for animals through her mothers influence.

Along with her family, Anna Sewell moved to the suburbs of Stoke Newington, where she was first exposed to foreign languages, mathematics, and arts after she was allowed to attend school outside the home. But one day at the tender age of 14, while walking from school to home in the rain, she got injury in her ankles. Unfortunately, due to some mistreatments of her injury, she was unable to stand or walk for any length of time and became lame for the rest of her life.

Due to her immobility, Anna Sewell used horse-drawn carriages very frequently which inspired her love of horses and concern for the humane treatment of animals. As a young woman she never married but from about 1850 onwards she developed her literary talents by critiquing her mothers writings. Anna met various writers, artists, philosophers during her several European spas, which her mother induced for her treatment. During one such tour, she even met the poet laureate, Alfred Tennyson.

At the age of 51, with the start of a mysterious illness, which left her in chronic ill health, Anna Sewell began work on a book about horses, which was to be named Black Beauty. However, the novel was sold to the publisher Jarrold & Sons for £40 on 24th November 1877 and was released just before her death.

Evidently Anna Sewells book Black Beauty was not an immediate success but later became one of the children classics. On 11th October 2007 her house at Spixworth Road, Old Catton was up for sale with a price tag of £625,000. Her only publication, Black Beauty is said to have been written in this house only.

Ever since 1923, as claimed by the publishers, the novel Black Beauty was the #6 best seller in the world. Today, her birthplace in Church Plain, Great Yarmouth has turned into a museum. After living at Blue Lodge, Wick, near Bath and Bristol for ten years Anna Sewell died of hepatitis on 25th April 1878 and was buried on 30 April 1878. Anna Sewell