Jackson, Helen Hunt


Jackson, Helen (Fiske) Hunt,

1830–85, American writer whose pseudonym was H. H., b. Amherst, Mass. She was a lifelong friend of Emily DickinsonDickinson, Emily,
1830–86, American poet, b. Amherst, Mass. She is widely considered one of the greatest poets in American literature. Her unique, gemlike lyrics are distillations of profound feeling and original intellect that stand outside the mainstream of 19th-century
..... Click the link for more information. . In 1863, encouraged by T. W. HigginsonHigginson, Thomas Wentworth,
1823–1911, American author, b. Cambridge, Mass. A Unitarian minister, he was a leader in the abolitionist movement and was a member of a group that backed John Brown's attack on Harper's Farry.
..... Click the link for more information. , Jackson began writing for periodicals. She is the author of poetry, novels, children's stories, and travel sketches. In 1881 she published A Century of Dishonor, an historical account of the government's injustice to Native Americans. This book led to her appointment (1882) as government investigator of the Mission of California. She subsequently wrote Ramona (1884), her famous romance, which presented even more emphatically the plight of Native Americans.

Bibliography

See biography by K. Philips (2003).

Jackson, Helen (Maria) Hunt (b. Fiske) (Saxe Holm; H. H., pen names)

(1830–85) writer, poet; born in Amherst, Mass. She was schooled briefly in Massachusetts and New York City, and was a neighbor and good friend of Emily Dickinson. She married Edward Hunt (1852). Following his death (1863), she turned to writing poetry, stories, and essays. She married William Jackson (1875) and they settled in Colorado Springs, Colo. She is best known for her novel Ramona (1884), an indictment of the U.S. government's treatment of Native Americans.