Lifespan: 1826-1887
Nationality: English
Genres: Romantic Literature
Types of Work: Novels, poetry, Children's Fiction
Contemporaries:
Other Names: Miss Mulock; Mrs. Craik
Style:
Bio: Dinah Maria Mulock was born on April 20, 1826 at Stoke-on-Trent, England, but was brought up in Newsastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.
After the death of her mother in 1845, Dinah settled in London, determined to begin her literary career. She began by writing children's fiction. Her first novel is perhaps her most well known, John Halifax, Gentleman, was published in 1856.. This was followed by A Life for a Life in 1859, which she considered her best.
Dinah married George Lillie Craik, a partner with the Macmillan & Company publishing house. She and her husband had one child, Dorothy, a foundling that they adopted in 1869.
She died of heart failure in Kent on October 12, 1887, while preparing for her daughter's wedding. Her last words were reported to be: "Oh, if I could live four weeks longer! but no matter, no matter!"
Her final book, An Unknown Country, was published posthumously in 1887.
Novels:
John Halifax, Gentleman
A Life for a Life
The Ogilvies
Olive
The Head of the Family
Agatha's Husband
Hannah
Young Mrs Jardine
Avillion and Other Tales
Christian's Mistake
A Noble Life
The Little Lame Prince and his Travelling Cloak
An Unknown Country