Elizabeth von Arnim

Elizabeth von Arnim, born Mary Annette Beauchamp, was an English novelist who was born in Australia. Known in her early life as May, she adopted the name Elizabeth with the publication of her first book, eventually using it with friends and family. Her earliest works were set in Germany, reflecting her life as the wife of a German aristocrat, the Count von Arnim-Schlagenthin.

Following the death of her first husband, she had a three-year affair with the writer H. G. Wells and later married Frank Russell, the elder brother of philosopher Bertrand Russell, becoming Elizabeth Russell, Countess Russell. She was also a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield.