Mona Caird

Beyond the Pale (Dodo Press) Mona Caird

Mona Caird (née Mona Alison, also called Alice Mona Henryson Caird) (1855-1932) was a Scottish novelist and essayist whose feminist views sparked controversy in the late 19th Century. She was born in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. She wrote stories and plays beginning in her early childhood, which reveal a proficiency in French and German as well as English. Mona's husband was supportive of her independence, and although he resided primarily at Casencary, she spent much of her time in London and travelling abroad. She associated with literary people, including Thomas Hardy who was an admirer of her work. Caird published her two novels, Whom Nature Leadeth (1883) and One That Wins (1887), under the pseudonym "G. Noel Hatton", but these drew little attention. Subsequent writings were published under her name, which came to prominence in 1888 when the Westminster Review printed her long article "Marriage". Continuing to write fiction, Caird published her novel The Wing of Azrael (1889). Next was a short story collection, A Romance of the Moors (1891).