Mary Stewart
Encyclopedia
Mary Florence Elinor Stewart (née Rainbow; born 17 September 1916) is a popular English novelist, best known for her Merlin series
, which straddles the boundary between the historical novel and the fantasy genre.
, England and graduated from Durham University
, from where she received an honorary D.Litt in 2009. She was a lecturer in English Language and Literature there until her marriage in 1945 to Sir Frederick Stewart, former chairman of the Geology Department of Edinburgh University. Sir Frederick died in 2001.
Stewart is the bestselling author of many romantic suspense and historical fiction novels, which were well received by critics due to her skillful story telling and enchanting prose. Her novels are also known for their well-crafted settings, many in England but also in such exotic locations as Damascus
and the Greek islands, as well as Spain, France, Austria
, etc.
She was at the height of her popularity in the 1960s and 1970s when many of her novels were translated into many languages; The Moon-Spinners
was also made into a movie.
Stewart is considered one of the founders of the romantic suspense subgenre, blending romance novels and mystery. She seamlessly combined the two genres, maintaining a full mystery while focusing on the courtship between two people, so that the process of solving the mystery "helps to illuminate" the hero's personality - thereby helping the heroine to fall in love with him.
Following the success of T. H. White
's The Once and Future King
, and the connection of the Kennedy presidency with "Camelot", Arthurian legends regained popularity. Mary Stewart added to this climate by publishing The Crystal Cave
, the first in what was to become a five-book series later dubbed The Merlin Chronicles
. It placed Lady Stewart on the best seller list many times throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy
Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy refers to the first three of Mary Stewart's quintet of Arthurian novels. It consists of:* The Crystal Cave * The Hollow Hills * The Last Enchantment...
, which straddles the boundary between the historical novel and the fantasy genre.
Career
Stewart was born in Sunderland, County DurhamCounty Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England and graduated from Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
, from where she received an honorary D.Litt in 2009. She was a lecturer in English Language and Literature there until her marriage in 1945 to Sir Frederick Stewart, former chairman of the Geology Department of Edinburgh University. Sir Frederick died in 2001.
Stewart is the bestselling author of many romantic suspense and historical fiction novels, which were well received by critics due to her skillful story telling and enchanting prose. Her novels are also known for their well-crafted settings, many in England but also in such exotic locations as Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and the Greek islands, as well as Spain, France, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, etc.
She was at the height of her popularity in the 1960s and 1970s when many of her novels were translated into many languages; The Moon-Spinners
The Moon-Spinners
The Moon-Spinners is a 1964 American Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of Crete. The film was based upon a suspense novel by Mary Stewart and was directed by James Neilson...
was also made into a movie.
Stewart is considered one of the founders of the romantic suspense subgenre, blending romance novels and mystery. She seamlessly combined the two genres, maintaining a full mystery while focusing on the courtship between two people, so that the process of solving the mystery "helps to illuminate" the hero's personality - thereby helping the heroine to fall in love with him.
Following the success of T. H. White
T. H. White
Terence Hanbury White was an English author best known for his sequence of Arthurian novels, The Once and Future King, first published together in 1958.-Biography:...
's The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works written in a period between 1938 and 1941....
, and the connection of the Kennedy presidency with "Camelot", Arthurian legends regained popularity. Mary Stewart added to this climate by publishing The Crystal Cave
The Crystal Cave
The Crystal Cave is a 1970 fantasy novel by Mary Stewart. The first in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian legend, it is followed by The Hollow Hills.-Plot introduction:...
, the first in what was to become a five-book series later dubbed The Merlin Chronicles
Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy
Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy refers to the first three of Mary Stewart's quintet of Arthurian novels. It consists of:* The Crystal Cave * The Hollow Hills * The Last Enchantment...
. It placed Lady Stewart on the best seller list many times throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
The Merlin Series
- The Crystal CaveThe Crystal CaveThe Crystal Cave is a 1970 fantasy novel by Mary Stewart. The first in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian legend, it is followed by The Hollow Hills.-Plot introduction:...
(1970) - The Hollow HillsThe Hollow HillsThe Hollow Hills is a novel by Mary Stewart. It is the second in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian Legends. This book is preceded by The Crystal Cave and succeeded by The Last Enchantment...
(1973) - The Last EnchantmentThe Last EnchantmentThe Last Enchantment is a 1979 fantasy novel by Mary Stewart. It is the third in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian legend, preceded by The Hollow Hills and succeeded by The Wicked Day.-Plot introduction:...
(1979) - The Wicked DayThe Wicked DayThe Wicked Day is a 1983 fantasy novel by Mary Stewart. The fourth in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian legend, it is preceded by The Last Enchantment and succeeded by The Prince and the Pilgrim.-Plot introduction:...
(1983) - The Prince and the PilgrimThe Prince and the PilgrimThe Prince and the Pilgrim is a 1995 fantasy novel by Mary Stewart. Preceded by The Wicked Day, it is the fifth installment in a number of novels of hers covering the Arthurian legend.-Plot introduction:...
(1995)
Others
- Madam, Will You Talk?Madam, Will You Talk?Madam, Will You Talk? is a novel by Mary Stewart, first published in 1955. It is Stewart's first published novel. The title is a quote from a folk song, Madam, Will You Walk?: "Madam, will you walk and talk with me?" is quoted at the start of Chapter 17.-Plot summary:Charity Selborne is on holiday...
(1954) - Wildfire at MidnightWildfire at MidnightWildfire at Midnight is a novel by Mary Stewart, first published in 1956. Stewart herself described the book as "an attempt at something different, the classic closed-room detective story with restricted action, a biggish cast, and a closely circular plot"....
(1956) - Thunder on the Right (1957)
- Nine Coaches WaitingNine Coaches WaitingNine Coaches Waiting is a Suspense, Gothic Romance Novel by Mary Stewart published originally in 1958.The novel tells the haunting tale of a young English Governess Linda Martin who travels to Château Valmy, near Thonon-les-Bains, France to take care of a nine year old Philippe Valmy...
(1958) - My Brother MichaelMy Brother MichaelMy Brother Michael is a novel by Mary Stewart, first published in 1959.-Plot summary:Camilla Haven has recently broken her engagement to Philip and is holidaying on her own in Greece. She is sitting in a cafe in Athens writing to Elizabeth, who would have been with Camilla but for a broken leg,...
(1959) - The Ivy Tree (1961)
- The Moon-SpinnersThe Moon-SpinnersThe Moon-Spinners is a 1964 American Walt Disney Productions feature film starring Hayley Mills in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of Crete. The film was based upon a suspense novel by Mary Stewart and was directed by James Neilson...
(1962) - This Rough MagicThis Rough MagicThis Rough Magic is a novel by Mary Stewart, first published in 1964. The title is a quote from William Shakespeare's The Tempest.-Plot summary:...
(1964) - Airs Above the Ground (1965)
- The Gabriel Hounds (1967)
- The Wind Off the Small IslesThe Wind Off the Small IslesThe Wind Off the Small Isles is a novel by Mary Stewart, first published in 1968.-Plot summary:Perdita works for children's writer Cora Gresham as secretary and personal assistant. Cora is writing about pirates on the Barbary Coast and wants to visit the Canary Islands...
(1968) - The Little Broomstick (1971) (children's novel)
- Ludo and the Star Horse (1974) (children's novel)
- Touch Not the CatTouch Not the CatTouch Not the Cat is a novel by Mary Stewart, first published in 1976. Like many of Stewart's novels, the story has a supernatural element.-Plot summary:...
(1976) - A Walk in Wolf Wood (1980) (children's novel)
- ThornyholdThornyholdThornyhold is a fantasy novel by Mary Stewart published in 1988.-Summary:The story is about a lonely child, Geillis "Jilly" Ramsay, who is made to see the world through her mother's cousin's unusual eyes. When the child becomes a young woman, she inherits her dead cousin's house as well as her...
(1988) - Frost on the Window: And other Poems (1990) (poetry collection)
- Stormy Petrel (1991)
- Rose Cottage (1997)