Katherine Mansfield's life was short and much of her writing experimental or oriented towards earning. Though contemporary reviewers sometimes condescended to her youth, gender, and magazine publication, she is now seen as one of the most interesting and original short-story writers of the Modernist movement, as well as a significant letter-writer and diarist. Her poetry, too, is of interest. Scholar Claire Tomalin believes that her diary in particular has made her a cult figure for young women.