author
Isa Bowman
1874–1958
Best remembered for the warm, vivid memoir she wrote about Lewis Carroll, this actress-turned-author offers a rare glimpse of the man behind Alice in Wonderland. Her book has endured because it feels personal, direct, and full of youthful wonder.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Woolwich, London, on September 2, 1874, Isa Bowman was a British actress who later became known to readers for her writing. As a child performer, she met Lewis Carroll and became one of the young people in his circle, a connection that would shape the book she is remembered for today.
Her best-known work, The Story of Lewis Carroll, Told for Young People by the Real Alice in Wonderland (1899), drew on her own memories and presented Carroll in a lively, approachable way for younger readers. That firsthand perspective has made the book especially valuable to generations of readers curious about Carroll's personality and everyday life.
Although Bowman also worked on the stage and later appeared in film, her lasting literary place comes from preserving a personal side of a major author. She died in London on September 29, 1958, leaving behind a memoir that remains one of the most memorable early portraits of Lewis Carroll.