Mary Lamb

Mary Lamb (London, 3 December 1764 – 20 May 1847) was an English writer, remembered chiefly for Tales from Shakespeare (1807), a prose retelling of Shakespeare's plays written with her brother Charles for young readers. She worked in London at the turn of the nineteenth century, when Romantic writers were reshaping English literature.

She grew up in a modest household; her father worked for a London barrister at the Inner Temple, and as a child she glimpsed figures such as Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith. In 1796, during a breakdown of her mental health, she killed her mother with a kitchen knife. She was confined to mental institutions for much of the rest of her life, and Charles took responsibility for her care. The two of them lived together and presided over a literary circle in London that included Wordsworth and Coleridge.

Her best-known work began as a commission: in 1806 the Godwins asked her for a piece for their children's library, and the Tales grew out of that request. She also wrote stories for children, such as Mrs. Leicester's School, and an essay defending needlework as a recognised profession for women. Her legacy lies mainly in children's literature and in introducing Shakespeare to young readers.