English-language literature is rightfully considered the leading one in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. The names of Joan Rowling, Tolkien are known to every student, the film adaptations of their works tear the box office in movie theaters around the world. A relatively new star in the sky of the magical genre is the English writer Susanne Clark. This entertaining personality will be discussed in this material.
Suzanne Clark - The New Star of English Fantasy
The biography of Susanna Clark the first thirty years of her life did not stand out among thousands of similar ones. The daughter of a Methodist church priest was born in 1959 in the legendary lands of Robin Hood - Nottingham. She constantly moved with her family - the pope's official affairs required regular relocations. This allowed her to see Northern England, Scotland.
How it all began
Susanna chose Oxford University for her education. Having entered the college for girls named after St. Hilda, she reaches the bachelor's degree in three areas - philosophy, political science, economics. Craving for a pen appeared at young Susie since university times. Wanting to get closer to the world of literature, she consistently works in various publishing houses. Among them are Quarto and Gordon Fraser.
Wanting to change the situation, Susanna leaves the Foggy Albion and in 1990 moves to sunny Italy. In the north of the country in Turin, she teaches English to the office plankton of the famous Fiat. A year later, she moved to work in another country in Southern Europe - Spain. In Bilbao, the girl is again engaged in teaching. The career of a teacher did not seduce the ambitious Suzanne. Already in Bilbao, she was visited by thoughts about creating her detective novel, but because of her employment, these plans had to be postponed.
As often happens, a small accident, an event that becomes a crossroads in fate, can change a person’s life. Suzanne Clark, whose biography changed after that rather strongly, considered a sudden illness as such an event. In 1992, she returned to England. In Durham, Suzanne is forced to remain inactive due to a long illness. She spends these days observing the gray landscapes of the cold North Sea and reading through Tolkien's books. It was the saga of the Trinityell and the Brotherhood of the Ring that determined its direction in literature. Inspired by the Tolkien universe, she begins her first major creation, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.
In it, she creates her own fantastic world against the backdrop of the period of the Napoleonic Wars. The wizards serving the British Empire are clandestinely fighting the Ancient People. The work dragged on for ten years, but Susanna was in no hurry.
During this period, she successfully begins the movement to fame. Works of “Ladies of Fine Goodbye”, “Duke of Wellington put his horse in the wrong place,” “Mrs. Mabb” are published. One of the stories even falls into the list of nominees for the best fantasy genre.
First success
For ten years, Suzanne Clark worked as a humble editor.
By occupation, she publishes cookbooks. The long-awaited success came in 2004. Only then does Bloomsbury publish Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. The publication becomes an event in the world of literature, with a circulation of 750 thousand copies scattered in the first months of sales. Unique illustrations by the famous artist decorate the book even more. Honored success is reinforced by awards from professionals - “Hugo” from the “World Fantasy Award” and “Locus” for the debut of the season from the Mythopoeic Awards.
Suzanne Clark: books as a reflection of success
Further, success and recognition became constant companions of the writer. Suzanne Clark works slowly but surely. The books following the first bestseller are largely repeating and continuing the old story. Suzanne Clark is an excellent representative of English literature. Many critics note that she synthesizes in her work the motives of Dickens and Jane Austen, Joan Rowling and Tolkien. Moore, Austin, Gaiman and Whedon are the authors whom Susanna Clark admires. Photos of the writer tell us that she is full of strength and unspoken ideas.
Many of them will be embodied in her new books.
Susanna’s personal life is modest and unpretentious. She lives in Cambridge with her friend Colin Greenland. Incidentally, he is also a science fiction writer.
Famous works of the writer:
- Goodbye Grace, or the Ladies of Grace-Adieu, is about a company of women who cannot do without the support of wizards.
- "How the Duke of Wellington lost his horse" - about the unusual village where the Wall passes, separating the familiar world from the mysterious.
- “Grotesques and allegories” - how the exiled Scottish Queen Mary with the help of a mysterious witch decided to fight for the crown.
- “Ladies from Grace-Adieu and Other Stories” is an almanac combining different stories about the universe of Strange and Norell.