Ethel Snowden

author

Ethel Snowden

1881–1951

A lively Labour campaigner, writer, and lecturer, she turned firsthand experience of politics, reform, and travel into books that spoke to a wide public. Her work blends social concern with sharp observation, especially in her writing about women, public life, and Soviet Russia.

2 Audiobooks

About the author

Born in Yorkshire, she trained as a teacher at Edge Hill College in Liverpool and later worked in social reform. She became well known as a socialist speaker and campaigner, and after marrying Philip Snowden she remained a prominent public figure in Labour politics and public debate.

She wrote across several genres, including social commentary, politics, autobiography, and travel. One of her best-known books, Through Bolshevik Russia, grew out of a visit to the Soviet Union and attracted attention for its skeptical, vivid account of what she saw there.

Alongside her political work, she was active in the temperance and women's movements, and her writing often reflects those commitments. Remembered today as both an author and an outspoken reformer, she brought energy, curiosity, and a strong personal voice to everything she published.