Mary Stewart (novelist)

Mary Stewart
Born	Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow (1916-09-17)17 September 1916 Sunderland, County Durham, England
Died	9 May 2014(2014-05-09) (aged 97) Lochawe, Scotland
Pen name	Mary Stewart
Occupation	Novelist
Language	English
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Durham University
Period	1954–1997
Genre	Romantic mystery
Spouse	Sir Frederick Stewart ​ ​ (m. 1945; died 2001)​

Mary, Lady Stewart (born Mary Florence Elinor Rainbow; 17 September 1916 – 9 May 2014) was a British novelist who developed the romantic mystery genre, featuring smart, adventurous heroines who could hold their own in dangerous situations. She also wrote children's books and poetry, but may be best known for her Merlin series, which straddles the boundary between the historical novel and fantasy.

Adaptations of her books include both The Moon-Spinners: a Walt Disney live-action movie, and The Little Broomstick (1971) which became an animated feature film titled Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017, dir. Hiromasa Yonebayashi).