Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) was an English novelist and poet. She was the eldest of the three Brontë sisters, all of whom were gifted writers. The most prolific of the three sisters, Charlotte authored a number of children’s stories as well as several novels, including Shirley, Villette, and The Professor. She published her first success, Jane Eyre, under the pseudonym Currer Bell in 1847.