Williams, Helen Maria |
| POET, WRITER (GREAT BRITAIN) |
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BORN 17 Jun 1761, London - DIED 15 Dec 1827, Paris: rue Neuve-Ste-Eustache GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Père Lachaise, Rue du Repos 16 (division 39, ligne 11 (face à div 38; 1ère tombe à partir de div 40)) |
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Helen Maria Williams was the daughter of the Welsh army officer Charles Williams and the Scottish Helen Hay. Her father died when she was eight years old and the family moved to Berwick-upon-Tweed, where she was educated. In 1781 she went to London where she met Andrew Kippis. He brought her into contact with leading intellectuals. In 1786 she published "Poems" and in her work she opposed war and slavery. She befriended Manon Roland and Tom Paine. In France she supported the French Revolution and she hosted Mary Wollstonecraft. She sided with the Girondists after 1792. During the Reign of Terror she and her family were imprisoned in the Luxembourg Prison. There she translated works from French into English. After she was released she went to Switzerland with her lover John Hurford Stone, who was married. In 1798 she published "A Tour in Switzerland". She lived in Paris and after the restoration of the Bourbons she became a French citizen. In 1819 she moved to Amsterdam to live with a nephew, but she wasn't happy there and soon returned to Paris. There she lived until her death in 1827. Related persons • has a connection with Wollstonecraft, Mary |
| Images |
 The grave of Helen Maria Williams at Père Lachaise, Paris. Picture by Androom (02 Nov 2019) |
Sources • Helen Maria Williams - Wikipedia (EN) |
