Emily Brontë
She wrote only one novel, a fierce and brutal story of obsessive love that forever changed the English literary landscape.
1818–1848 (age 30)·English writer and novelist·Birthday: July 30
Biography
Emily Brontë lived almost her entire life in the isolation of the Yorkshire moors, a landscape that would become a character in her work. Shy and reclusive, she found creative freedom in a fantasy world she built with her siblings. Her single novel, 'Wuthering Heights', published under the male pseudonym Ellis Bell, shocked its Victorian audience with its raw portrayal of passion, cruelty, and metaphysical connection. Initially met with bewilderment for its moral ambiguity and structural complexity, the book's power was later recognized, securing her posthumous fame. Brontë died of tuberculosis at thirty, leaving behind a mysterious, uncompromising legacy.
#1 When Emily Was Born
The biggest hits of 1818
Emily's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1818Born
1823Started school
1831Became a teenager
1834Could drive
1836Could vote
1839Turned 21
1848Turned 30
Key Achievements
- Wrote 'Wuthering Heights' (1847), a novel now considered a masterpiece of English literature.
- Published a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte and Anne under pseudonyms in 1846.
- Her poem 'No Coward Soul Is Mine' is celebrated for its intense spiritual conviction.
- Created the fantasy world of Gondal with her sister Anne, composing poems and stories about it.
Did You Know?
She was so homesick during a brief stint as a teacher that she returned home after only a few months.
Her death certificate listed her occupation as 'Spinster', not writer.
The only known portrait of the three Brontë sisters, painted by their brother Branwell, shows a ghostly space where he painted himself out.
She was an accomplished pianist and studied music in Brussels.
“I am Heathcliff.”
