author
Martha Idell Fletcher Bellinger
1870–1960
An early 20th-century American novelist and playwright, she is best remembered for The Stolen Singer and for winning a New York World contest with her play A Woman’s Sphere. Her work moved between fiction, drama, and editorial work, reflecting a broad literary life.
1 Audiobook
The Stolen Singer
by Martha Idell Fletcher Bellinger
About the author
Born in Alstead, New Hampshire, in April 1870, Martha Idell Fletcher Bellinger studied at Mount Holyoke College, graduating in 1892. She later built a career as an American author and was also associated with publishing work in Indianapolis, New York, and Chicago.
Bellinger is most closely linked today with her 1911 novel The Stolen Singer, a mystery-inflected story set in a musical world. She also wrote the prize-winning play A Woman’s Sphere, which was recognized in a New York World contest and later produced on stage.
She died on January 5, 1960. Reliable biographical details available online are fairly limited, but the surviving record shows a writer who worked across several forms and found success in both fiction and drama.