Beatrix Potter (July 28, 1866-1943) wrote and illustrated some two dozen children's books that are now considered classics, including The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
From the time she was 14 until she was 31, Potter kept a journal that she wrote in secret code. (It was finally decoded by Leslie Linder and published for the first time in 1966 and again in 1989.) The entries show her reluctant acceptance of her parents' dominance over her life during her teens and a gradual build-up of resentment as she moved through her twenties. Bouts of depression and occasionally poor physical health plagued her as well. Despite these obstacles, she was determined to make something of her life, noting in her journal:
"I cannot rest,
I must draw,
however poor the result,
and when I have
a bad time
come over me,
it is a
stronger desire
than ever…."
This is just fabulous!!
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