Mary Wollstonecraft

"Mr Johnson, whose uncommon kindness, I believe, has saved me from despair, and vexations I shrink back from - and feared to encounter; assures me that if I exert my talents in writing I may support myself in a comfortable way. I am then going to be the first of a new genus - I tremble at the attempt yet if I fail - I only suffer [...] This project has long floated in my mind. You know I am not born to tread in the beaten track - the peculiar bent of my nature pushes me on".

from a letter to her sister Everina Wollstonecraft, written as she was embarking on her career as a professional writer (London, November 7th, 1787).

Laura Kirkley, May 2013

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