Author: Catherine Ray
Author: Catherine Ray (1832–1910)
Biography: Catherine Ray was born in 1833 in Worlingworth, Suffolk, the twelfth child of merchant Samuel Ray and his wife Phillis. Her parents died when she was young. Ray's ambition was to be a missionary, but poor health prevented that career. Instead she turned to travel, writing, and learning languages including German, French, Norwegian, Spanish, and Italian. Based on her experiences, she contributed to the periodical press as well as writing several novels. Notably, she was the first English translator of Ibsen. In the 1880s, she and her sister settled in Hampstead where Ray devoted herself to politics as a staunch conservative. She died on 7 September 1910 in Hampstead.
References: British Census (1851, 1891, 1901); Hampstead News (15 September 1910); Probate; Wikipedia; Woman's Penny Paper (1890)
Fiction Titles:
- The Farm on the Fjord: A Tale of Life in Norway. 1 vol. Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, 1877.
- Aground in the Shallows: A Novel. 2 vol. London: Remington, 1880.
- A New Exodus: or, The Exiles of the Zillerthal. A Story of the Protestants of the Tyrol. 1 vol. London: James Nisbet, 1887.