author
F. M. S.
An Irish writer of the Victorian era, this author published warmly moral, character-focused stories for young readers under the initials F. M. S. Her work also reached into biography, showing a lively interest in history as well as everyday courage.
1 Audiobook
The Boy Artist. A Tale for the Young
by F. M. S.
About the author
Frances Mary Synge, who often published as F. M. S., was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, in 1842. She wrote from a young age and became known for fiction for children and young adults, with books such as Willy's Lesson and So Shall We Live.
In 1870, she married the Rev. William Owen and is also found under the name Frances Mary Owen. Sources describe her as an Irish author of young adult fiction and adult biographies, and note that she was the aunt of playwright John Millington Synge.
Her books reflect the tone of much 19th-century religious and domestic fiction: practical, earnest, and centered on kindness, duty, and moral growth. She died in 1883, leaving behind a body of work that still survives in library and public-domain collections.