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Eleanor H. Porter was born in New Hampshire, USA, in 1868. Before she became a world-famous novelist, Porter was actually trained as a singer. This musical background perhaps influenced the rhythmic and cheerful tone of her writing. She began writing short stories for magazines before publishing Pollyanna in 1913. The book was an instant sensation, selling over a million copies in its first year alone. Porter knew that people often feel lonely or discouraged, and she wanted to provide a story that offered a simple yet effective way to cope with life's hardships.