Charlotte Perkins

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, published here under her maiden name Charlotte Perkins, was an American author, feminist, sociologist and lecturer who was one of the most influential thinkers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in 1860, she is best known for her short story The Yellow Wallpaper, a powerful exploration of mental health and gender oppression that has become a classic of American literature. Herland, first serialised in 1915, is a feminist utopian novel that imagines an all-female society discovered by three male explorers. The novel uses satire and speculative fiction to challenge contemporary assumptions about gender roles, social organisation and human potential. Gilman's broader body of work includes non-fiction treatises on economics, sociology and women's rights, most notably Women and Economics. She was a prolific writer and lecturer who advocated for women's economic independence and social reform throughout her career. Her audiobooks and books continue to be widely read and studied for their literary innovation and feminist vision. She died in 1935.