author
Mrs. Leighton
Best known for a graceful 1922 English translation of the medieval romance Fleur and Blanchefleur, this elusive writer left behind a book that still feels tender, lyrical, and timeless.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Very little confirmed biographical information about Mrs. Leighton appears to be readily available in major public sources. What can be confirmed is that she is credited as the translator of The Sweet and Touching Tale of Fleur & Blanchefleur: A Mediaeval Legend, published in London in 1922, with illustrations by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale.
That work helped bring a French medieval love story to English-language readers in an especially gift-book style, pairing romance, legend, and richly decorative illustration. Public-domain and library-style listings suggest this translation is the work for which she is chiefly remembered today.
Because reliable biographical details are scarce, it is safest to think of Mrs. Leighton as a somewhat mysterious literary figure whose surviving reputation rests on this single, charming retelling of a classic tale.