Margery Williams Bianco

Margery Williams Bianco (1881-1944) was an English American children's book writer. Born in London, she was encouraged to read from a young age by her father, a barrister and classics scholar. In 1890, following her father's untimely death,Williams and her sister moved with their mother Pennsylvania, where Margery was enrolled at the Covent School in Sharon Hill. Marked by her father's death, however, and by his encouragement of her literary and creative interests, Margery returned to London in 1901 to embark on a career as a professional writer. She published her first novel, The Late Returning, in 1902, and though it failed commercially she was encouraged to write and publish several more works of fiction. After meeting him through her publisher, Margery married Francesco Bianco in 1904, and the two had a son and a daughter. The family moved from England to Paris before settling in Turin, Italy, where Francesco joined the Italian Army to fight in the First World War. During this difficult time, Margery found solace in the works of English writer Walter de la Mare, who would inspire much of her work to come. In 1921, Margery and Francesco moved their family to Greenwich Village, where their daughter Pamela, a child prodigy, excelled as a painter. In 1922, inspired by de le Mare's works, Bianco published her most famous book, The Velveteen Rabbit. Recognized as a classic work of children's literature, it has been adapted numerous times for radio, theatre, film, and television. In 1937, Bianco was awarded a Newbery Medal for her book Winterbound.