The romantic novels of Elizabeth Goudge acquired an enormous readership during her lifetime, and her name appeared regularly on best-seller lists. She also wrote plays, short stories, children's fiction, biographies, and an autobiography, and she edited anthologies. Her initial popularity can be attributed in part to the timeliness of her idealism during World War II and the postwar years. However, though she herself disclaimed any scholarly aspirations, the maturity of intellect and spirit that informs her romantic imagination and the sheer artistry of her prose could account for the solidity of her enduring reputation.

Elizabeth de Beauchamp Goudge (pronounced "Goozsh") was born on 24 April 1900 in Wells, Somerset, England, the only child of Henry Leighton Goudge and Ida de Beauchamp (Collenette) Goudge. At the time of her birth her father was vice principal of the theological college at Wells Cathedral. Her mother came from a prominent French family on...