Mary Stewart (1916–2014) was an English novelist who helped establish romantic suspense as a major form of post-war popular fiction. Born Mary Rainbow in Sunderland, she studied English at Durham University, graduating with first-class honours, and worked as a teacher and university lecturer before becoming a full-time writer. Her debut, Madam, Will You Talk?, was followed by internationally successful novels including Nine Coaches Waiting, My Brother Michael, The Ivy Tree, The Moon-Spinners and This Rough Magic. Stewart became known for intelligent, independent heroines, vividly described European settings and plots that blended romance with mystery, danger and literary allusion. After marrying the geologist Frederick Stewart, she lived for many years in Scotland and became Lady Stewart when her husband was knighted in 1974.
Stewart’s principal historical fiction is her Arthurian sequence, which presents the legends within the political and cultural world of fifth-century post-Roman Britain. The Crystal Cave recounts Merlin’s childhood and rise as a prophet and adviser; The Hollow Hills follows his search for the young Arthur and the future king’s emergence; and The Last Enchantment depicts Arthur’s reign and Merlin’s declining influence. The Wicked Day retells the later tragedy from Mordred’s perspective, presenting him as a conflicted figure rather than a simple villain, while The Prince and the Pilgrim offers a shorter story set within the same Arthurian world. Stewart combines legend with historical reconstruction, treating Merlin’s apparent magic largely as foresight, learning and psychological insight while exploring kingship, loyalty, fate and the struggle to unite Britain after Roman rule.
Rosemary Sutcliff
38 books
Gillian Bradshaw
20 books
Henry Treece
35 books