Anna Sewell

No novel has caused such an impact in animal rights like the novel Black Beauty has. Even after its first publishing in 1877, the classical novel still remains an all-time favorite amongst readers of all ages.  The now famous black horse has soared through the imagination of many, helping induce sympathy for animals and promoting good treatment.

Anna Sewell was born on March 30, 1820 on Yarmouth Norfolk England.  Anna grew up in a very religious household with her parents Isaac Sewell and Mary Wright Sewell, and one sibling named Philip. Philip and Anna were mainly educated at home until the age of twelve, when Anna and her family moved to Stoke Newington. There she attended public school for the first time. Sadly two years later, at the age of fourteen, she slipped and severely injured both her ankles. Her injury was never treated right which left her permanently crippled to the point that she became fully dependent of her parents. Due to her injury Anna never married nor had children. Experts believe that Anna might have suffered from a rare syndrome called Lupus, a rare condition that when a body tissue is damaged, the body’s defenses start attacking it instead of healing it.

Anna’s injury inhabilitated severed her capacity to move properly. She turned horse drawn carriages to move around better. This is how she became more involved with horses, soon turning into an avid horse woman and carriage driver, she would often drive her father to work. During this period of time people depended heavily on horses for traveling, work, and faster mobility. Anna witnessed the mistreatment some horses had to suffer and how there was nothing done to improve their living conditions. Some were overworked to the point of almost collapsing; others were starved or beaten to death by their cruel owners.  Other things that Anna pointed out in her book were check reins. Check reins forced the horses to held their heads up high; it was mainly done for fashion, causing the horses a great deal of pain. Anna was completely against it and created awareness of it on her book.

Check reins (also called bearing reins) are considered cruel amongst the equine community for they forbid the horse to move anatomically correct. The improper use of his neck and back muscles leads to severe pain and deformities. Not to mention that a horse that is being forced to hold its head high will be unable to see or breathe properly. A horse that uses check reins develops wrong muscle groups often resulting on a weak topline and an undesired ewe neck formation. In conclusion, a horse that is forced to move in a forced position for hours, with no rest given, will be in a lot of pain.

Anna was also very close to her mother, Mary Wright Sewell, whom back then was a famous evangelic writer and a poet. She mainly wrote children’s books. Some of her most famous titles were “The Poor Brother” and “Mother’s Last Words”. Anna learned to write thanks to her mother, often helping her edit her books. The Sewell’s were often taking part in good causes, always trying to help others. Mary was an active member of the anti-slavery movement in England. Anna soon followed her mother’s steps and heed to her worthy causes. Mother and daughter were very close, especially after Anna’s accident. Mary became her main caregiver and supporter.

Despite her injury, Anna traveled often. She went to Germany and Spain in hopes of finding a treatment for her sick ankles. During that period she was exposed to artists, poets and writers. It is believe that this is what led Anna to consider writing a book of her own. She didn’t start writing Black Beauty until 1871 after she moved to Old Catton when she was 51 years old. During this period Anna’s condition deteriorated, she was confined to a bed most of the time. She became so weak that writing became very difficult to do. By 1876, she started to dictate to her mother most of the novel. She would also write on slips of papers so her mother could transcribe them.  Anna expressed that her special aim was “to induce kindness, sympathy, and an understanding treatment of horses.” And that her book was for those who were involved with horses.

She sold her novel to local publisher Jarrold & Sons. The novel was published on November 24, 1887. Anna only got a small glimpse of her novel’s success; she passed away 5 months after her novel had been initially published on April 25, 1878. It is believed that she died of Hepatitis or Tuberculosis, but to this day it is still unknown. During her funeral her mother noticed that some of the horses in the procession were wearing check reins. This had been the type of cruel reins Anna had been protesting about in her novel. Mary requested that the drivers removed the check reins off their horses, which they did.

Black Beauty became an eye opener for people about the brutality animals can endure. The use of check reins was significantly reduced in England after the book was published. Also new laws were passed to protect working animals and to help ease financial difficulties of cab drivers. These laws became beneficial to both horses and drivers. In actuality, the book has sold over fifty million copies worldwide becoming one of the bestselling books of all time. The book has been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Turkish, Hindustani, Braille, Turkish, and Portuguese as well as all European languages. The book ranked at number 58 on the BBC’s survey “The Big Read.” Sewell’s book also generated a new genre for children called “pony book”.

Strong words by Anna marked a new era venturing into a new literary ground. Black Beauty became the first book of the “pony books” genre. Her book became the inspirational source of many animal based books. Some animal books like Beautiful Joe, Moorland Mousie, were heavily based off of Black Beauty. Sewell’s book also hit the big screen. There have been over 6 film adaptations made, one of the most popular is the film titled “Black Beauty” directed by Caroline Thompson, 1994.   There’s also a TV series that aired on 1972, titled “The Adventures of Black Beauty”.

 Black Beauty was created with a very strong purpose in mind. The black horse who narrates his life experiences with humans never fails to impact readers. He tells us a story of love, compassion and most importantly, forgiveness. To this day Black Beauty prances in green pastures, alongside his two best friends Ginger and Merry Legs, filling with wonder and fascinating stories the imagination of many readers around the world. 

Written by: Rommina Aguilar, 11/29/2012.