Helen Maria Williams (1759–1827)
Author of Letters Written in France
About the Author
Works by Helen Maria Williams
Letters from France containing a great variety of original information concerning the most important events that have… (2010) 4 copies
An Eye-Witness Account of the French Revolution by Helen Maria Williams: Letters Containing a Sketch of the Politics of… (1997) 2 copies
Narrative of the Events Which Have Taken Place in France: From the Landing of Napoleon Bonaparte, on the 1st of March,… (2017) 1 copy
Souvenirs de la Révolution française ; par Helena-Maria Williams, traduit de l’Anglais (1827) 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Williams, Helen Maria
- Birthdate
- 1759-06-17
- Date of death
- 1827-12-15
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Place of death
- Paris, France
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Berwick-upon-Tweed, UK
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Paris, France - Occupations
- novelist
poet
translator
essayist
feminist
Travel Writer (show all 8)
letter writer
war correspondent - Relationships
- Plumptre, Anne (friend)
Madame Roland (friend)
Wollstonecraft, Mary (friend)
Kippis, Andrew (mentor) - Short biography
- Helen Maria Williams was born in London, the daughter of a British army officer. She was brought up in Berwick-on-Tweed and moved in 1781 back to London, where she became part of a wide intellectual and political circle. She also became a religious dissenter, an opponent of slavery, and a supporter of the ideals of the French Revolution. She traveled alone to France in the summer of 1790 and settled in Paris in 1792. There she befriended writers, political activists, and philosophers such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Madame Roland, and Thomas Paine. She was a first-hand witness to the Revolution as a "war journalist in a petticoat." She was imprisoned during the Reign of Terror, but was released and fled to Switzerland. After the fall of Robespierre in 1794, she returned to Paris and spent much of the rest of her life there. She was originally a supporter of Napoleon but later denounced him as a tyrant. She wrote poetry, novels, travel journals, and a voluminous correspondence, and did translations from French to English, including Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint Pierre.
Members
Reviews
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 25
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 99
- Popularity
- #191,538
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 3
- ISBNs
- 18