Author: Anna Bonus Kingsford
Author: Anna Bonus Kingsford (1846–1888)
Alternate Name(s): Bonus (maiden name); Mrs. Algernon Kingsford (familiar name); Colossa (pseudonym); Ninon Kingsford (pseudonym)
Biography: A rather remarkable Victorian woman. Anna Kingsford was born on 16 September 1846 in Maryland Point, Stratford, Essex, the daughter of ship broker John Bonus. In 1867, she married her cousin, the clergyman Algernon Godfrey Kingsford, later Vicar of Atcham. It was a marriage of convenience to allow Kingsford to live independently on her own fortune. In 1870 she converted to Roman Catholicism. After a time contributing stories to the Penny Post, she purchased and edited the Lady's Own Paper (1872–1873). In addition, she wrote three novels: Beatrice (1863) under her maiden name, In My Lady's Chamber (1873) under the pseudonym "Colossa," and Rosamunda (1875) under her married name. She abandoned her literary career for Paris where she studied medicine, earning an M.D. in 1880. She returned to London where she had a very successfully practice with women patients. Throughout her life, she was a fervent anti-vivisectionist, a proponent of vegetarianism, supporter of women's rights, and active in the theosophical movement. She died of consumption on 22 February 1888 in Kensington.
Author Tags:
References: Boase; Wikipedia
Fiction Titles:
- Beatrice: A Tale of the Early Christians. 1 vol. London: Joseph Masters, 1863.
- In My Lady's Chamber: A Speculative Romance, Touching a Few Questions of the Day. 1 vol. London: J. Burns, 1873.
- Rosamunda the Princess: An Historical Romance of the Sixth Century; and Other Tales. 1 vol. London: James Parker, 1875.