Emma Frances Dawson

Emma Frances Dawson (1839-1926) was an American poet and writer of supernatural fiction.

Life

Dawson was born in New England, but by 1880 was living in California, eventually in San Francisco, the setting for most of her stories. Following the 1906 Earthquake, she moved to Palo Alto.

Work

Dawson wrote short stories and poems, originally printed in regional publications such as the Argonaut and Overland Monthly. Most of her fiction was reprinted in a collection An Itinerant House, and Other Stories (see references). The work is notable not just for its merit as atmospheric supernatural fiction, but for its detailed description of 19th century San Francisco. Ambrose Bierce, who seems to have been a mentor to Dawson in her literary efforts, praised her work as some of the best being written in the West Coast and representative of the region (as well as having similar high praise for verse).

References


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