Marie Corelli, born May 1, 1855, died April 21, 1924, was a British novelist. Not only was she a successful writer, but she was one of a very few who was a lesbian in Victorian times. Although she never "came out", she lived with another woman, Bertha van der Vyver, and left everything to Bertha in her will. When Bertha died she was buried alongside Corelli.
'Marie enjoyed a period of great literary success from the publication of her first novel in 1886 until World War I. Corelli's novels sold more copies than the combined sales of popular contemporaries, including Arthur Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells, and Rudyard Kipling, although critics often derided her work as "the favourite of the common multitude."' (Wikipedia).
During her years of dedicated writing, Corelli was the most widely read author of fiction novels. While the public loved her flowery style, the critics panned everything that was published under her name. Despite the negative reviews, she had legions of fans that included Winston Churchill and members of the British Royal Family.
I helped to republish one of her supernatural novels called Vendetta. It was surprisingly good and still read well in modern times. Unfortunately, during World War 1, she was accused of hoarding food and lost a lot of her social standing. Most of her works have fallen into obscurity, but I'm working on correcting that one reader at a time.
Iron Noder 2017