Madame de (Maria Geertruida van de Werken) Cambon

Maria Geertruida van de Werken, usually published as Madame de Cambon, was an eighteenth-century Dutch author. Library and authority records identify her as born in 1734 and living after 1796, though a precise death date is not easy to confirm from the sources available.

She is best known for Young Grandison, an instructional novel for young people. Catalog records for the 1790 English edition describe it as a translation of her Dutch work De kleine Klarissa, and contemporary editions present it as a series of letters meant to guide and educate younger readers.

Her work also reached English audiences through later translations such as Letters and Conversations Between Several Young Ladies, on Interesting and Improving Subjects. She is often mentioned today because Mary Wollstonecraft translated and adapted Young Grandison, which helped keep Madame de Cambon’s writing in view for readers interested in children’s literature, women’s writing, and the history of education.