Mrs. Olifant, née Margaret Oliphant Wilson, was a prolific 19th-century Scottish novelist, biographer, and critic, renowned for her narrative skill and sharp yet empathetic societal observations. Born on April 4, 1828, in Wallyford, East Lothian, she began her literary career at the age of 21 with the publication of her first novel. Her writing, which often addressed themes of domestic and social ...