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Susan Mary Cooper

スーザン・メアリー・クーパー

Susan Mary Cooper

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1935-05-23 （Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK）
Nationality
British
Languages
English
Religion
Unitarian Universalism
Residence History
Buckinghamshire, England → Aberdyfi, Wales → Marshfield, Massachusetts, USA → Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Career

Occupations
Writer
Active Years
1964-
Affiliations
First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Scituate, National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance (former board member)
Memberships
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance (former board member)
Influenced By
Celtic mythology, Arthurian legend, British folk tradition
Nominations
Hans Christian Andersen Award (U.S. nominee)

Education

Somerville College, University of Oxford
English / English
Country: United Kingdom
First woman to edit the undergraduate newspaper Cherwell

Awards

Newbery Medal
1976
Work: The Grey King
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children, American Library Association
Result: winner
Newbery Honor
1974
Work: The Dark Is Rising
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children, American Library Association
Result: honor
Margaret A. Edwards Award
2012
Work: The Dark Is Rising (series)
Category: Lifetime contribution
Organization: Young Adult Library Services Association, American Library Association
Result: winner
World Fantasy Award — Life Achievement
2013
Category: Life Achievement
Organization: World Fantasy Awards
Result: winner
Tir na n-Og Award
1976
Work: The Grey King
Organization: Welsh Books Council
Result: winner
Tir na n-Og Award
1978
Work: Silver on the Tree
Organization: Welsh Books Council
Result: winner
B'nai B'rith Janusz Korczak Literary Prize
1989
Work: Seaward
Organization: B'nai B'rith
Result: winner
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2020
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: elected
Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master
2024
Category: Lifetime contribution
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA)
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Over Sea, Under Stone

1965 Children's fantasy

The first book of The Dark Is Rising sequence. Young protagonists become involved in a mystery surrounding the sea and an ancient object.

familylegendadventure

The Dark Is Rising

1973 Children's fantasy

The second book in the sequence. Will Stanton discovers he is an Old One (a defender of the Light) and becomes involved in the battle against the Dark.

coming of agegood vs evilmyth
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Seeker (The Dark Is Rising film) / David L. Cunningham (2007)

Greenwitch

1974 Children's fantasy

The third book in the sequence. Focuses on a mysterious ritual and ancient powers set against Welsh tradition.

ritualtraditionnature

The Grey King

1975 Children's fantasy

The fourth book in the sequence. Set in Wales, the protagonist confronts ancient prophecy and destiny. Winner of the Newbery Medal.

destinyprophecyfriendship

Silver on the Tree

1977 Children's fantasy

The final volume of the sequence. Depicts the ultimate confrontation between Light and Dark and brings the series themes to a close.

final confrontationsacrificehope

Ghost Hawk

2013 Children's historical novel

A historical novel set in early 17th-century Massachusetts, telling of colonial transformation through the perspective of a Wampanoag spirit.

colonialismindigenous perspectivehistory

The Boggart

1993 Children's fantasy

A modern fairy-tale about a mischievous spirit (a boggart); later followed by sequels.

humorspiritshome

Bibliography

  • Mandrake (1964)
  • Over Sea, Under Stone (1965)
  • The Dark Is Rising (1973)
  • Greenwitch (1974)
  • The Grey King (1975)
  • Silver on the Tree (1977)
  • Dawn of Fear (1970)
  • Seaward (1983)
  • The Boggart (1993)
  • Ghost Hawk (2013)

Adaptations

  • The Seeker (film, 2007) — film adaptation of The Dark Is Rising
  • Foxfire (stage play, 1982) — play by Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn (produced on Broadway)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
mythic and folkloric narrative elementsrestrained prose and detailed world-building
Recurring Motifs
Celtic mythologyArthurian legendseasons and nature

Legacy

Susan Cooper has been a major influence on late 20th- and early 21st-century children's and YA fantasy. The Dark Is Rising sequence is celebrated for its incorporation of Celtic and Arthurian myth. Her work has been recognized by major awards (Newbery Medal, World Fantasy Award, lifetime achievement honors) establishing an international reputation.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)

Archives

  • Library of Congress catalogue records
  • Listed in international authority databases (VIAF, ISNI, GND)

In Popular Culture

  • The Dark Is Rising was adapted into a film and the series is often cited as a landmark of children's fantasy.

Quotes

  • Children are as good readers as ever.
    Source: The Boston Globe (interview, 2020) (2020)

Trivia

  • She was the first woman to edit the undergraduate newspaper Cherwell while at Oxford.
  • Emigrated to the U.S. in 1963 to marry Nicholas J. Grant; later married actor Hume Cronyn in 1996 (Cronyn died 2003).
  • Several books in The Dark Is Rising sequence were recognized by the Welsh Books Council (Tir na n-Og Awards).