Burnett, Francis

Burnett, Francis (Eliza b. Hodgson)

(1849–1924) author; born in Manchester, England. Brought up in Manchester, she and her parents emigrated to Knoxville, Tenn. (1865). She wrote for periodicals, traveled to Europe (1875–77), married, and moved to Washington, D.C. After the failure of her marriage, she divided her time between Long Island and England, and wrote her enduring classics for young readers, Little Ford Fauntleroy (1886), and The Secret Garden (1911). She continued to publish many other books, but her nostalgic approach became unpopular and it is her earlier work that is remembered.