Anna Sewell was an English author best known for Black Beauty, a novel narrated in the first person by a horse and widely regarded as a classic of animal narrative literature. Public information about her life is limited, but it is confirmed that the book was completed in the final years of her life and remains her only widely known work. Through the horse's perspective, the novel shows the different ways humans treat animals; its plain yet moving language drew wide attention upon publication and helped spread awareness of animal welfare at the time. In Chinese book classification, the work is often placed in the inspirational and coming-of-age category, as its themes of endurance, kindness and respect suit young readers. By letting a horse tell its own story, Sewell invites readers to feel empathy and responsibility, which is an important reason Black Beauty continues to be read more than a century later.
