C. A. (Catharine Amy) Dawson Scott

Born in Dulwich in August 1865, Catharine Amy Dawson Scott wrote under several forms of her name, including C. A. Dawson Scott. She built a wide-ranging literary career as a novelist, poet, playwright, and short-story writer, publishing prolifically and becoming a familiar figure in British literary circles.

She is most closely associated with the creation of PEN in London in 1921, helping establish what became PEN International, the worldwide association of writers. That work made her an important organizer as well as an author, and it remains the achievement for which she is most often remembered.

Later in life, she also became known for her interest in spiritualism. Today, her legacy joins two sides of literary history at once: a substantial body of imaginative writing and a lasting role in building one of the best-known international communities for writers.