Somerville and Ross

Somerville and Ross

 joint pseudonym of Edith Anna Oenone Somerville and Violet Florence Martin

(born May 2, 1858, Corfu, Greece—died Oct. 8, 1949, Castlehaven, County Cork, Ire.) (born June 11, 1862, Ross House, County Galway, Ire.—died Dec. 21, 1915, Cork, County Cork) Irish cousins and writers. Somerville and Martin met in 1886; three years later they published their first novel, An Irish Cousin, under the names E.Œ. Somerville and Martin Ross. They cowrote a total of 14 books, including a collection of short stories, Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. (1899), that, with its sequels, was their most popular work. Their works wittily and sympathetically portrayed Irish society in the late 19th century. After Martin's death, Somerville continued to write under the joint name.