(1858-1924)

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English author, poet, and socialist. Though often remembered for her children’s books, Nesbit wrote several gothic stories, publishing three collections of gothic horror: Grim Tales (1893), Something Wrong (1893), and Fear (1910).

 

At twenty-one years old and seven months pregnant, Nesbit married Hubert Bland, a bank clerk and the father of her unborn child. Bland proved to be an unfaithful husband, having affairs with and impregnating various other women, including Nesbit's own friend Alice Hoatson. The relationship between Hoatson, Nesbit and her husband eventually resulted in Hoatson being employed as their housekeeper, while her two children (both by Bland) were raised then adopted by Nesbit. 

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Nesbit was a firm socialist and one of the founders of the Fabian Society. She also challenged conventional fashion, choosing to cut her hair short and refusing to wear corsets under her dress. 

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Penguin publishes a collection of her horror stories, which are taken from the three aforementioned anthologies. You can also read some of them online using the links provided in the below (this list contains a few duplicates, where a story originally published independently in a magazine is later included in a collection). 

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If you are looking for her work, be aware that she sometimes used her husband's last name (Bland) when publishing. 

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