author
Clara de Chatelain
1807–1876
A remarkably versatile Victorian writer, translator, and composer, she published poetry, stories, songs, and children's books under her own name and several pseudonyms. Her work helped bring continental European literature and folklore to English readers in the 19th century.
1 Audiobook
Up! Horsie! An Original Fairy Tale
by Clara de Chatelain
About the author
Born in London on July 31, 1807, Clara de Chatelain was an English writer of French descent whose career ranged across poetry, fiction, translation, and music. She also wrote under several pseudonyms, including Leopold Wray, Baronne Cornélie de B., Rosalia Santa Croce, and Leopoldine Ziska.
She became known for her extraordinary productivity and variety. Alongside original poems and stories, she translated works from European languages into English and wrote for children as well as adults. Reference sources consistently describe her as not just an author and translator, but also a composer, which gives a sense of how wide her creative life was.
Clara de Chatelain died in London on June 30, 1876. Though she is not widely known today, her career reflects the lively literary world of the Victorian period, when translation, adaptation, and writing across genres could all belong to a single energetic author.