6 Female Authors With Male Pen Names

4. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë

The talented Brontë sisters lived in a time when female writers were looked upon with prejudice and negativity, so the sisters needed to ensure their work would be taken seriously. They assumed male pen names of Currer Bell, Ellis Bell, and Acton Bell. Charlotte, the author of Jane Eyre, is one of the most famous female novelists. Her sister, Emily, wrote under the name Ellis Bell, and her only novel is Wuthering Heights, which made her immortal. After Emily’s death, Charlotte edited her only novel and published it under Emily’s true name. The third sister, Anne, followed Charlotte’s and Emily’s footsteps and assumed the name Acton Bell. She is best known for her novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The three sisters are among the greatest novelists of our time.