Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was a renowned English novelist, editor, biographer and short story writer. The daughter of political philosopher William Godwin and feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft, Shelley was highly educated and infused radical political elements in her works. She is best-known for the widely acclaimed gothic novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818), which is considered the first true science fiction story. Other major works by Shelley include Valperga (1823), The Last Man (1826) and Lodore (1835). Besides being an accomplished writer, Shelley also edited and promoted the works of her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, the renowned Romantic poet. She died in 1851, aged 53.