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P. Djèlí Clark

ピー・ジェリィ・クラーク

P. Jerī Kurāku

Aliases: Dexter Gabriel / Phenderson Djèlí Clark / A. Phenderson Clark / Djèlí A. Clark
Pen Names: Phenderson Djèlí Clark（Pen name used for literary works to separate from academic work）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1971-01-01 （Queens, New York, U.S.）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Trinidad and Tobago → Staten Island, U.S. → Brooklyn, U.S. → Houston, U.S. → Connecticut, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Writer, Historian
Active Years
2011-
Affiliations
University of Connecticut, Department of History (Assistant Professor)
Nominations
Nebula Award Best Novella 2018 The Black God's Drums (Finalist), Hugo Award Best Novella 2019 The Black God's Drums (Finalist)

Education

Texas State University, San Marcos
History
Degree: BA, MA
Country: United States
Stony Brook University
History
Degree: Ph.D.
Year of Graduation: 2016
Country: United States
Thesis: A West Indian Jubilee in America: British Emancipation and the American Abolition Movement

Awards

Nebula Award
2018
Work: The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington
Category: Short Story
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA)
Result: Won
Locus Award
2019
Work: The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington
Category: Best Short Story
Organization: Locus Magazine
Result: Won
Nebula Award
2020
Work: Ring Shout
Category: Best Novella
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA)
Result: Won
Nebula Award
2021
Work: A Master of Djinn
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA)
Result: Won
British Fantasy Award
2021
Work: Ring Shout
Category: Best Novella
Result: Won
Locus Award
2021
Work: Ring Shout
Category: Best Novella
Organization: Locus Magazine
Result: Won
Compton Crook Award
2022
Work: A Master of Djinn
Result: Won
Ignyte Award
2022
Work: A Master of Djinn
Category: Best Novel
Result: Won
Locus Award
2022
Work: A Master of Djinn
Category: Best First Novel
Organization: Locus Magazine
Result: Won
BSFA Award
2023
Work: How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub
Category: Short Fiction
Result: Won
Locus Award
2024
Work: How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub
Category: Best Short Story
Organization: Locus Magazine
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Nebula Award 1 appearances
  1. Edition 57 (2022) Winner
    Work: A Master of Djinn

    A Cairo-set fantasy detective novel in which Fatma el-Sha'arawi investigates a murder tied to the possible return of al-Jahiz, against a backdrop of magic, bureaucracy, and unrest.

    392 pages
    magicdetective fictionalternate historyCairopolitical unrest

Works

Major Works

A Master of Djinn

2021 Fantasy

Fantasy novel set in 1912 alternate Egypt where agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi investigates a mysterious impersonator of al-Jahiz.

DjinnAlchemyAlternate historyEgypt

Ring Shout

2020 Fantasy/Horror

A woman fights demonic forces disguised as the Ku Klux Klan in the American South of the 1920s.

RacismAfrican American historySupernatural

The Black God's Drums

2018 Fantasy

Novella set in alternate-history steampunk New Orleans featuring a storm-calling orphan girl.

SteampunkAfrican diasporaMythology

The Haunting of Tram Car 015

2019 Fantasy

Novella in the Dead Djinn Universe where agents investigate a haunted tram car in steampunk Egypt.

SteampunkGhostsEgypt

Bibliography

  • A Dead Djinn in Cairo
  • The Angel of Khan el-Khalili
  • The Haunting of Tram Car 015
  • A Master of Djinn
  • Abeni's Song
  • Abeni and the Kingdom of Gold
  • The Black God's Drums
  • Ring Shout
  • The Dead Cat Tail Assassins
  • The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington
  • If the Martians Have Magic

Translations of Works

  • A Master of Djinn (Seiun Award nominee for translated novel)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Steampunk-infused speculative fictionBlending historical facts with fantasyVivid world-building
Recurring Motifs
African diasporaDjinn and mythical beingsColonialism and resistance

Legacy

Innovative speculative fiction writer bringing African American perspectives, winner of multiple major awards, known for the Dead Djinn Universe.

Trivia

  • The pen name 'Djèlí' references West African griots, traditional storytellers.
  • Publishes academic history works under real name Dexter Gabriel.
  • Assistant professor of history at University of Connecticut.