Anna Sewell

Anna Sewell
Born(1820-03-30)30 March 1820
Died25 April 1878(1878-04-25) (aged 58)
Old Catton, Norfolk, England
Resting placeQuaker burial ground, Lamas
OccupationNovelist
Period19th century
GenreChildren's literature
ParentsMary Wright Sewell
Isaac Phillip Sewell

Anna Sewell (/ˈsjəl/; 30 March 1820 – 25 April 1878) was an English novelist who is known for her only book, Black Beauty, a novel about a horse. She was born into a Quaker family in Norfolk and moved to London as a baby. Her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, was the author of popular children's books. Sewell never married and always lived with her parents, in Sussex, Gloucestershire and Norfolk. A chronic illness left her leading a life of invalidism, with trips to spa resorts in England and continental Europe. She joined her mother in carrying out charitable work and also edited her mother's books. Black Beauty was written between 1871 and 1877 and published a few months before Sewell's death.