E. Oe. (Edith Oenone) Somerville

Born in Corfu in 1858 and raised mainly at Drishane House in County Cork, Edith Anna Œnone Somerville became an Irish novelist, illustrator, and memoirist who usually signed herself E. Œ. Somerville. She studied art in Europe before building her literary reputation, bringing a painter’s eye for scene and character to her writing.

She is most closely linked with her cousin Violet Martin, who wrote as Martin Ross. Together they published as Somerville and Ross, creating much-loved books including The Real Charlotte and the Irish R.M. stories, works remembered for their humor and their lively picture of Irish society.

After Martin’s death in 1915, Somerville continued to write and to preserve the legacy of their partnership. She died in 1949, and she is still read for prose that is funny, observant, and full of personality.