Legacy: Arthurian Saga (242 page)

A NOTE ABOUT THE
AUTHOR

MARY STEWART, one of the most popular
novelists of all time, was born in Sunderiand, County Durham,
England. After boarding school, she went on to Durham University,
and later worked there as a lecturer in English Language and
Literature, until her marriage in 1945. Her husband is Sir
Frederick Stewart, who has recently retired from the chairmanship
of the Geology Department of Edinburgh University. He is a Fellow
of the Royal Society.

Lady Stewart's career as a novelist
began in with the publication of Madam, Will You Talk? Since then
she has published sixteen successful novels, including The Wicked
Day, the fourth of her novels of Arthurian legend. Preceding it is
her magical Merlin trilogy, about the legendary enchanter Merlin
and young Arthur. (the novels of the trilogy are The Crystal Cave,
The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment.) Her books for young
readers, The Little Broomstick (1972), Ludo and the Star Horse
(1974), and A Walk in Wolf Wood (1980), quickly met with the same
success as her other novels. In 1971, the Scottish chapter of the
International PEN Association awarded her the Frederick Niven Prize
for The Crystal Cave . In 1974, the Scottish Arts Council Award
went to Ludo and the Star Horse.