Hope Mirrlees

Helen Hope Mirrlees was a translator, poet, and novelist, but is best remembered as the author of the obscure 1926 fantasy novel, Lud-in-the-Mist. While several authors have mentioned Lud-in-the-Mist’s influence on their work (Neil Gaiman has been a tireless Mirrlees crusader), Mirrlees’s novel has never really taken off. It was first reprinted (without the author’s permission) in 1970 by Ballantine Books, and then again in 1977 and 2005.

Mirrlees was an heiress, inheriting comfortable fortunes from both sides of her family. She lived with the classicist Jane Harrison (the exact nature of their relationship is unclear) until Harrison’s death in 1928, after which Mirrlees stopped writing, retired from society, and lived off her family money until her death in 1978.

Aftertaste:
Well, Lud-in-the-Mist is so weird that I'm totally bummed that her other two novels have been lost to the sands of time--I would have loved to have read them.

Availability:
The newest reprint is allegedly available everywhere, but I've had trouble getting ahold of it. You can pick up used copies pretty easily on e-Bay.

Other Recommendations:
Neil Gaiman's Stardust