Mrs. (Rosanna Eleanor) Leprohon

Born in Montreal in 1829 as Rosanna Eleanor Mullins, she was educated at the Convent of the Congregation of Notre-Dame and began publishing young, encouraged by her teachers. Her early poems and fiction appeared in the Literary Garland, and she went on to write novels, short fiction, and poetry under the name Mrs. Leprohon after marrying Dr. Jean-Lukin Leprohon in 1851.

She is remembered as one of the early English-Canadian writers to portray French Canada in a vivid, respectful way. Novels such as Antoinette de Mirecourt and Armand Durand drew readers into Quebec society, while her poetry and prose helped build a place for women's voices in Canadian literature.

Leprohon spent most of her life in Montreal and died there in 1879. Though not always as widely read today as some of her contemporaries, she remains an important figure in the story of Canadian writing, especially for the way she bridged linguistic and cultural worlds.