Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter

Born in Littleton, New Hampshire, in 1868, Eleanor Hodgman Porter studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and first built a reputation as a singer. After marrying John Lyman Porter in 1892, she eventually shifted from music to writing, publishing short stories and then novels.

Her lasting fame rests on Pollyanna (1913) and its sequel Pollyanna Grows Up (1915). The books were enormously successful, and the character's sunny outlook became such a cultural force that "Pollyanna" entered everyday language. Porter also wrote popular novels for both children and adults, including Just David and the Miss Billy books.

She died in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1920, but her work continued to travel far beyond her lifetime. What still makes her readable is the same quality that first won so many fans: a gift for writing hopeful stories that never forget how hard life can be.