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Lucy Sussex

ルーシー・サセックス

Lucy Sussex

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1957-01-01 （Christchurch, New Zealand）
Nationality
Australian
Languages
English
Residence History
Christchurch, New Zealand → France → United Kingdom → Australia (settled 1971, primarily Melbourne)

Career

Occupations
Author, Editor, Reviewer, Academic, Teacher, Researcher, Freelance editor/researcher
Active Years
1983-
Affiliations
Federation University Australia (Ballarat) — Fellow, La Trobe University — Fellow
Influenced By
Terry Carr, George Turner, Mary Fortune (19th-century writer)
Nominations
She's Fantastical — World Fantasy Award (1996) shortlisted, Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab — Ngaio Marsh Awards (2017) shortlisted (Best Non-Fiction)

Education

Monash University
English (BA)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Country: Australia
BA in English (date unknown)
Monash University
Librarianship (MA)
Degree: MA in Librarianship
Country: Australia
MA in Librarianship (date unknown)
University of Wales
English Literature (PhD)
Degree: PhD in English Literature
Country: United Kingdom
PhD thesis focused on early women crime writers (19th century)

Awards

Ditmar Award
1989
Work: My Lady Tongue
Organization: Ditmar Awards
Result: Winner
Ditmar Award
1997
Work: The Scarlet Rider
Organization: Ditmar Awards
Result: Winner
Ditmar Award
2004
Work: La Sentinelle
Organization: Ditmar Awards
Result: Winner
Ditmar Award
Work: Absolute Uncertainty
Organization: Ditmar Awards
Result: Winner
Aurealis Award
1998
Work: Merlusine
Category: Best Fantasy Short Story
Organization: Aurealis Awards
Result: Winner
Aurealis Award
2003
Work: La Sentinelle
Organization: Aurealis Awards
Result: Winner
Sir Julius Vogel Award
2008
Work: Mist and Murder
Organization: Sir Julius Vogel Awards
Result: Winner
Chandler Award
2003
Category: Outstanding Achievement in Australian Science Fiction
Organization: Australian science fiction community (Chandler Award)
Result: Winner
Peter McNamara Achievement Award
2010
Organization: Australian science fiction community
Result: Winner
Victorian Community History Awards — History Publication Award
2015
Work: Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
Organization: Victorian Community History Awards
Result: Winner
World Fantasy Award
1996
Work: She's Fantastical (editor)
Organization: World Fantasy Convention
Result: Shortlisted
Ngaio Marsh Awards
2017
Work: Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
Category: Best Non-Fiction
Organization: Ngaio Marsh Awards
Result: Shortlisted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Peace Garden

1989 Novel / contains fantasy elements

An early novel (1989) combining elements of fantasy with close character and setting work.

fantasyinterpersonal relations

Deersnake

1994 Fantasy / Speculative fiction

A 1994 novel with symbolic and allegorical elements.

allegoryidentity

The Scarlet Rider

1996 Historical fiction with detective elements

A fictionalization of Sussex's research into Mary Fortune, blending Victoriana motifs with detective and historical concerns.

Victorianahistory of women writersdetective fiction motifs

The Penguin Friend

1997 Children's / Young adult novel

A 1997 work aimed at children and young adult readers.

coming of agefriendship

Black Ice

1997 Novel / suspense elements

A 1997 novel featuring suspense and complex interpersonal dynamics.

crisisinterpersonal relations

The Revognase

2003 Novel / Fantasy

A 2003 novel combining fantasy plotlines with historical motifs.

fantasyhistorical motifs

My Lady Tongue and Other Tales

1990 Short stories / horror, fantasy, SF

An early short story collection including the noted story 'My Lady Tongue'.

horrorfeminismfantasy

A Tour Guide in Utopia

2005 Short stories / speculative fiction

A 2005 collection of speculative stories blending fantasy with social themes.

utopiasocial critique

Absolute Uncertainty

2006 Short stories / short fiction

A collection of notable short fiction spanning a range of genres.

uncertaintyhuman drama

Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies: The Essential Lucy Sussex

2011 Short stories / selected works

A 2011 essential collection gathering many of Sussex's key short works.

female perspectiveshistorical motifs

Woman Writers and Detectives in Nineteenth-Century Crime Fiction: the Mothers of the Mystery Genre

2010 Academic non-fiction

An academic study of 19th-century women crime writers, including research on Mary Fortune.

history of women writershistory of crime fiction

Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

2015 Non-fiction / history

A historical study of Fergus Hume and his novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab; winner of the Victorian Community History Awards (History Publication Award).

publishing historycrime literature history

Outrageous Fortunes: The Adventures of Mary Fortune, Crime Writer, and Her Criminal Son

2025 Biography / research

A biographical and research work on Mary Fortune and her son, re-evaluating Fortune's life and work (co-authored with Megan Brown).

reassessment of women writersbiographical research

Bibliography

  • The Peace Garden (1989)
  • Deersnake (1994)
  • The Scarlet Rider (1996)
  • The Penguin Friend (1997)
  • Black Ice (1997)
  • The Revognase (2003)
  • My Lady Tongue and Other Tales (1990)
  • A Tour Guide in Utopia (2005)
  • Absolute Uncertainty (2006)
  • Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies: The Essential Lucy Sussex (2011)
  • Thief of Lives (2011)
  • Woman Writers and Detectives in Nineteenth-Century Crime Fiction (2010)
  • Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (2015)
  • Outrageous Fortunes (2025)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Speculative fiction with a feminist perspectiveIncorporation of Victoriana and historical research in styleTechnically crafted short fiction
Recurring Motifs
dollsVictoriana motifshistory and rediscovery of womencrime and detective motifs

Legacy

Lucy Sussex is an important figure in Australian and New Zealand speculative fiction and literary research, known for feminist SF, Victoriana studies, and the rediscovery of 19th-century women crime writers. She has been influential as an editor and researcher, notably re-identifying and reassessing authors such as Mary Fortune.

Academic Societies

  • Federation University Australia (Fellowship)
  • La Trobe University (Fellowship)

Archives

  • Victorian Fiction Research Unit, University of Queensland (research material)
  • La Trobe University Press — related collections

Quotes

  • She has described herself as a 'literary archaeologist'.
    Source: Career descriptions and interviews

Trivia

  • Has been writing since age eleven.
  • Attended a 1979 Sydney-based science fiction writers' workshop run by Terry Carr and George Turner.
  • Wrote regular book reviews for The Age newspaper until 2013, at times reading 5–6 books a week for reviews.
  • Describes herself as a 'literary archaeologist' and has contributed to the rediscovery of 19th-century women writers.
  • Uncovered and republished the work of Mary Fortune, clarifying Fortune's identity after decades of pseudonymous publication.