Mary Webb

Mary Webb (1881–1927) was an English novelist and poet whose passionate, lyrical fiction set in the Shropshire countryside made her one of the most distinctive voices in early twentieth-century English literature. Though she achieved only modest success in her lifetime, her work was championed by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin after her death and has since been recognised as an important contribution to English rural fiction. Precious Bane, her masterpiece, is set in early nineteenth-century Shropshire and tells the story of Prue Sarn, a young woman with a harelip, whose intelligence, sensitivity, and love of the natural world set her apart from the harsh, superstitious community around her. The novel won the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse and is considered one of the finest English novels about rural life. Webb's audiobooks and books offer listeners and readers prose of extraordinary beauty and emotional power. Her work appeals to lovers of literary fiction, nature writing, and anyone who appreciates writing that captures the English landscape with genuine passion.