Harriet Letitia Martin was a 19th-century Irish novelist.

Biography

Harriet Letitia Martin was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1801. She was the daughter of the novelist and stage-critic Harriet Evans Martin, and Richard Martin MP, a prominent member of the Martyn family of Galway. Other literary members of her family included her niece, Mary Letitia Martin (1815–1850) and her cousin

Violet Florence Martin Violet Florence Martin (11 June 1862 – 21 December 1915) was an Irish author who co-wrote a series of novels with cousin Edith Somerville under the pen name of Martin Ross (Somerville and Ross) in the late nineteenth and early twentieth cen ...

(1862–1915). She spent the first years of her life in London, where her father sat as member for parliament for

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

. She was raised at the family home in Ballynahinch, County Galway; her father's townhouse in Galway town; and in Dublin. Following her father's dismissal from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

for illegal election in 1826, Martin, her mother and surviving sister accompanied him into exile in France, which lasted till his death in January 1834. Martin is said to have travelled widely in Europe and in North America. She made the acquaintance of

John Banim John Banim (3 April 1798 – 30 August 1842), was an Irish novelist, short story writer, dramatist, poet and essayist, sometimes called the "Scott of Ireland." He also studied art, working as a painter of miniatures and portraits, and as a drawi ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and while staying with him, wrote her best-known work, ''

Canvassing Canvassing, also known as door knocking or phone banking, is the systematic initiation of direct contact with individuals, commonly used during political campaigns. Canvassing can be done for many reasons: political campaigning, grassroot ...

''. In later life, she settled in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, where she lived with her sister. She died in Dublin, unmarried, in 1891.

Bibliography

* ''Canvassing'', Saunders & Otley, London, 1835 * ''The Changeling, a tale of the year '47'', Saunders & Otley, London, 1848

References

* ''The King of Connemara'', Shevaun Lynam, Lilliput Press, Dublin, 1975 * ''Martin, Harriet Letitia'', in ''A Guide to Irish Fiction 1650-1900'', p. 867, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Harriet Letitia 1801 births 1891 deaths Irish women writers Writers from County Galway Irish expatriates in France 19th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Irish writers

Biography

Bibliography

See also

References