E. Oe. (Edith Oenone) Somerville

Born in Corfu in 1858 and raised largely in County Cork, Edith Œnone Somerville became one of the best-known Irish writers of her time. She studied art in Dublin, London, and Paris before building a literary career, and she often signed her work as E. Œ. Somerville.

She is most closely associated with her long collaboration with her cousin Violet Martin, who wrote as Martin Ross. Together, as Somerville and Ross, they produced novels, stories, and travel writing, including The Real Charlotte and the much-loved Irish R.M. stories, celebrated for their humor and vivid picture of Irish social life.

After Martin Ross died in 1915, Somerville continued to write and remained deeply linked with their shared body of work. Her reputation rests not only on her comic gift, but also on her sharp observation, memorable characters, and unusual combination of writer and visual artist.