Sara Hawks Sterling (March 4, 1874 - December 26, 1936) was an American schoolteacher and novelist.
Sterling specialized in fiction about historical and legendary figures, such as King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Anne Hathaway. Her novel Shakespeare's Sweetheart, published in 1905, is an early attempt to view William Shakespeare's life and romantic exploits from a female perspective. Shakespeare's Sweetheart and A Lady of King Arthur's Court were both illustrated by Clara Elsene Peck.
Personal life
Sterling was born on March 4, 1874, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Dr. John and Mary Sterling."United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWJ7-H62 : 19 February 2021), Sarah H Sterling in household of John Sterling, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district ED 82, sheet 148B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,169. She appears to have remained in Philadelphia, and never married. According to her listing in the Woman's Who's who in America of 1914–1915, she was against women's suffrage; however, her actual viewpoints regarding women's suffrage have never been concretely determined. She was a member of the Browning Society of Philadelphia, the Shakespeare Company, and the Dickens Fellowship.
In addition to her writing, Sterling taught English at the Philadelphia High School for Girls from 1906 to 1912, and the West Philadelphia High School for Girls starting in 1912. She earned a bachelor of arts in teaching from the University of Pennsylvania in 1918, and was a member of the Women Teachers' Organization.
She died December 26, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of pneumonia, which she caught after directing a Christmas play for the Philadelphia High School for Girls.Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania and New Jersey, U.S., Church and Town Records, 1669-2013 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.The Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 29 Dec 1936, Tue Page 6 She is buried at Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Works Hamlet's brides: a Shakespearean burlesque in one act (1900) Shakespeare's sweetheart (1905) A Lady of King Arthur's Court: Being a Romance of the Holy Grail (1907) Robin Hood and his merry men (1921)
References
Links Online Books page for Sara Hawks Sterling