author
Shirley Barker
1911–1965
A New England writer, poet, and librarian, she is best remembered for historical novels rooted in early American life. Her work draws on colonial and regional history with a strong sense of place.
1 Audiobook
The Road to Bunker Hill
by Shirley Barker
About the author
Born in Farmington, New Hampshire, in 1911, she built a career that joined literature, scholarship, and library work. She studied at the University of New Hampshire and later earned advanced degrees in English and library science, experiences that supported both her writing and her work as a librarian.
She first gained notice as a poet when her collection The Dark Hills Under won the Yale Series of Younger Poets prize while she was still an undergraduate. She later became known mainly for historical fiction, especially novels set in colonial and early New England, often shaped by her own family background and long connection to the region.
Alongside her writing, she was also active in literary and academic circles, with records of her papers and career preserved in New Hampshire collections. She died in 1965, leaving behind a body of work that continues to interest readers drawn to American historical fiction and New England history.