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Sarah Waters

サラ・ウォーターズ

Sarah Waters

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1966-07-21 （Neyland, Pembrokeshire, Wales）
Nationality
Welsh
Languages
English
Residence History
Neyland, Pembrokeshire → Middlesbrough, England → Kennington, London

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Academic
Active Years
1998-
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)
Influenced By
Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Mary Shelley, The Brontës, A. S. Byatt, John Fowles, Angela Carter

Education

University of Kent
English Literature
Degree: BA
Country: United Kingdom
Lancaster University
English Literature
Degree: MA
Country: United Kingdom
Holds an honorary degree from Lancaster University
Queen Mary, University of London
English Literature / Literary Studies
Degree: PhD
Country: United Kingdom
PhD thesis 'Wolfskins and togas: lesbian and gay historical fictions, 1870 to the present' inspired later fiction

Awards

Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
2019
Organization: The London Gazette / UK Honours System
Result: 受章
Betty Trask Award
1999
Work: Tipping the Velvet
Organization: Society of Authors
Result: 受賞
Stonewall Book Award
2001
Work: Affinity
Organization: American Library Association (Rainbow Round Table)
Result: 受賞
Somerset Maugham Award
2000
Work: Affinity
Organization: Society of Authors
Result: 受賞
British Book Awards (Author of the Year)
2003
Organization: British Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Man Booker Prize (shortlist)
2002
Work: Fingersmith
Organization: Man Booker Prize
Result: ノミネート（最終候補）
Man Booker Prize (shortlist)
2006
Work: The Night Watch
Organization: Man Booker Prize
Result: ノミネート（最終候補）
Man Booker Prize (shortlist)
2009
Work: The Little Stranger
Organization: Man Booker Prize
Result: ノミネート（最終候補）
Lambda Literary Award
2000
Work: Tipping the Velvet
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: 受賞
Lambda Literary Award
2007
Work: The Night Watch
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: 受賞
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2009
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tipping the Velvet

1998 Historical fiction (Victorian)

Set in the Victorian era, follows a young woman's coming-of-age and lesbian relationships; a vivid, energetic novel exploring sexuality and identity.

Lesbian relationshipsComing-of-ageVictorian cultureIdentity
Adaptations
  • [Television] Tipping the Velvet (TV series) (2002)
Translations
  • Translated into many languages (including Chinese, Korean, Slovenian, etc.)

Affinity

1999 Historical fiction / Gothic

Set in the Victorian period, centres on spiritualism and an imprisoned medium; a darker novel exploring class, desire and the supernatural.

SpiritualismClassDesireGothic elements
Adaptations
  • [Film / TV film] Affinity (film) (2008)

Fingersmith

2002 Historical crime / Thriller

A complex Victorian tale of deception, theft and love, featuring plot twists and double-crosses.

BetrayalFraudClass disparityLove and resentment
Adaptations
  • [Television] Fingersmith (TV serial) (2005)
  • [Film] The Handmaiden / Park Chan-wook (2016)

The Night Watch

2006 Historical fiction (1940s / WWII and aftermath)

Set in 1940s London, follows interconnected lives of several characters in a non-linear structure; themes of disappointment, loss and betrayal.

Postwar societyLossRelationshipsBetrayal
Adaptations
  • [Television] The Night Watch (TV adaptation) (2011)

The Little Stranger

2009 Gothic / Supernatural

A gothic ghost story set in postwar Britain about a declining gentry family and strange occurrences seen through the eyes of a doctor.

Decline of classGothicUnexplained phenomenaSocial change
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Little Stranger (film) / Lenny Abrahamson (2018)

The Paying Guests

2014 Historical fiction / Mystery

Set in 1920s London after WWI, follows a family who take in lodgers and the ensuing complex relationships and a subsequent murder investigation.

Postwar societyFemale desireClass and economyCrime

Bibliography

  • Tipping the Velvet (1998)
  • Affinity (1999)
  • Fingersmith (2002)
  • The Night Watch (2006)
  • The Little Stranger (2009)
  • The Paying Guests (2014)

Adaptations

  • Tipping the Velvet (TV series, 2002)
  • Fingersmith (TV serial, 2005)
  • Affinity (TV/film, 2008)
  • The Night Watch (TV adaptation, 2011)
  • The Handmaiden (film, 2016; based on Fingersmith)
  • The Little Stranger (film, 2018)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Combines detailed Victorian-period description with postmodern narrative techniquesResearch-intensive historical depictionRealist psychological focus on emotional nuance
Recurring Motifs
Lesbian/queer identitiesClass disparitySecrets and betrayalGothic / supernatural elements

Legacy

Sarah Waters is acclaimed for meticulously researched historical novels (Victorian and interwar periods) and is an influential figure in LGBT literature internationally. Her works' awards and screen adaptations have given her wide readership and cultural impact.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature

In Popular Culture

  • Park Chan-wook's film The Handmaiden (2016), based on Fingersmith, brought international attention and exemplified Waters' influence on popular culture.

Quotes

  • I'm writing with a clear lesbian agenda in the novels. It's right there at the heart of the books.
    Source: Interviews (various) (2006)

Trivia

  • David Bowie listed Fingersmith among his 'top 100 books'.
  • Has been in a relationship with Lucy Vaughan since 2002.
  • Her PhD research provided inspiration and material for her early novels.