Prominent Sisters

Tells the fascinating story of three talented and energetic 19th-century women: Mary Lamb, Dorothy Wordsworth, and Sarah Disraeli. Although little-remembered today, they were widely acknowledged in their own time as important and influential figures in British intellectual and artistic society. One of the earliest proponents of feminism, Mary Lamb was the sister of the eminent essayist, Charles Lamb. She was a friend and correspondent of Coleridge, Leigh Hunt, and Sir Walter Scott, and presided over the most famous literary salon of her day. Dorothy Wordsworth was not only the sister of the great poet but his lifelong intellectual companion. A noted diarist and critic, Dorothy Wordsworth was one of the founders of modern sociology and a major influence on her brother's poetry. While not as public a figure as Mary Lamb and Dorothy Wordsworth, Sarah Disraeli was her brother's trusted and intimate political adviser. Much of what is known about the great prime minister's innermost thoughts is revealed in their 30-year correspondence.

"Through a wealth of detail gleaned from letters, memoirs, newspapers, periodicals, and historical texts, this biographical work portrays the lives and writings of three women neglected in a traditional literary history that privileges their more famous brothers....Weaving into his accounts the women's letters, papers, and creative works, [Polowetzky] offers evidence of literary ability, intellectual acumen, and social skills, as well as the women's well-known devotion to their siblings' work....Polowetzky's study gives these neglected women stature in their own right and encourages scholars to investigate their work and lives."-Choice, ?Through a wealth of detail gleaned from letters, memoirs, newspapers, periodicals, and historical texts, this biographical work portrays the lives and writings of three women neglected in a traditional literary history that privileges their more famous brothers....Weaving into his accounts the women's letters, papers, and creative works, [Polowetzky] offers evidence of literary ability, intellectual acumen, and social skills, as well as the women's well-known devotion to their siblings' work....Polowetzky's study gives these neglected women stature in their own right and encourages scholars to investigate their work and lives.?-Choice

MICHAEL POLOWETZKY was born in London and currently lives in New York. His most recent book, Jerusalem Recovered (Praeger, 1995), analyzes the role of British Victorian intellectuals in the creation of modern Zionism.