Emily Bronte (1818-1848) was an English writer best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights. One of six children born to Patrick and Maria Bronte, Emily's love of words and gift of writing were hereditaryL her father, though a minister by profession, also published several books and wrote for newspapers, and her mother was an ardent poetry fan. All the Bronte siblings were writers in their own right, though critics generally concede that Emily was the most accomplished. Though Wuthering Heights received only middling reviews during her lifetime (sister Charlotte's Jane Eyre was far more successful), over time, the book has come to be revered and respected as a classic. Emily died of tuberculosis at the age of thirty, barely having begun to explore her literary potential.