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Susanna Clarke

スザンナ・クラーク

Suzanna Clarke

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1959-11-01 （Nottingham, England）
Nationality
British
Languages
English
Religion
Methodist
Residence History
Nottingham (born) → Various towns in Northern England → Scotland (periods) → Turin, Italy → Bilbao, Spain → County Durham, England → Cambridge, England → Derbyshire, England → Bradford, England (setting of a novel in progress)

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
1993-
Influenced By
J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, George Meredith, J. R. R. Tolkien

Education

St Hilda's College, Oxford
Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) / Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Degree: BA
Period: 1978–1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: United Kingdom
Completed PPE at Oxford

Awards

World Fantasy Award — Novella
2001
Work: Mr Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower
Organization: World Fantasy Award
Result: 最終候補
Booker Prize
2004
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: Booker Prize
Result: 長期候補
Guardian First Book Award
2004
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: The Guardian
Result: 最終候補
Whitbread/First Novel Award
2004
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: Whitbread (now Costa)
Result: 最終候補
Time's Best Novel of the Year
2004
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: Time
Result: 受賞
British Book Awards — Literary Fiction
2005
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: British Book Awards
Result: 最終候補
Hugo Award for Best Novel
2005
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: Hugo Award
Result: 受賞
Locus Award for Best First Novel
2005
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: Locus
Result: 受賞
Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature
2005
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: Mythopoeic Awards
Result: 受賞
Nebula Award for Best Novel
2005
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: Nebula Award (SFWA)
Result: 最終候補
World Fantasy Award — Novel
2005
Work: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Organization: World Fantasy Award
Result: 受賞
British Book Awards — Newcomer of the Year
2005
Organization: British Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Costa Book Award for Novel
2020
Work: Piranesi
Organization: Costa Book Awards
Result: 最終候補
Encore Award
2021
Work: Piranesi
Organization: Encore Award
Result: 最終候補
Hugo Award for Best Novel
2021
Work: Piranesi
Organization: Hugo Award
Result: 最終候補
Nebula Award for Best Novel
2021
Work: Piranesi
Organization: Nebula Award (SFWA)
Result: 最終候補
Kitschies — Red Tentacle
2021
Work: Piranesi
Organization: The Kitschies
Result: 受賞
Women's Prize for Fiction
2021
Work: Piranesi
Organization: Women's Prize for Fiction
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

2004 Fantasy, Alternate history 782 pages

An alternate-history fantasy set in 19th-century England in which magic has returned through two men, Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell. The novel examines their relationship, English identity, and the boundary between reason and madness, supplemented by nearly two hundred fictional footnotes.

MagicEnglishnessReason vs. madnessFriendship and rivalry
Adaptations
  • [Television (miniseries)] Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (BBC miniseries) / Toby Haynes (2015)
Translations
  • Translated into multiple languages (including Japanese)

The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories

2006 Collection, Fairy tales 235 pages

A collection of short stories set in or related to the world of Jonathan Strange, focusing on women who practice magic. The stories adopt a 19th-century narrative voice with sly, often comic, feminist undertones.

Women's magicFeminist revision19th-century pastiche
Translations
  • Translated into Japanese and other languages

Piranesi

2020 Speculative fiction, Literary 245 pages

Set in a vast, labyrinthine structure called the House, the novel follows the protagonist Piranesi as he records his observations in a journal and gradually uncovers disturbing truths about his world. The book explores memory, solitude, and the nature of reality.

SolitudeMemory and realityExploration and discovery
Translations
  • Translated into multiple languages (including Japanese)

Bibliography

  • Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004)
  • The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories (2006)
  • Piranesi (2020)
  • Various short stories and radio dramas

Adaptations

  • Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell — BBC 2015 television miniseries

Translations of Works

  • Translations of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (including Japanese editions)
  • Translations of Piranesi (including Japanese editions)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
19th-century British pasticheAntiquarian, fable-like narrationExtensive use of fictional footnotes (metafictional device)
Recurring Motifs
Contrast of magic and the mundaneWorld-building through footnotesNeedlework/domestic detail as female powerSolitude and memory

Health

  • Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
    2006–
    Health problems affected her writing productivity, slowing work on sequels and large projects.

Legacy

Susanna Clarke's distinctive 19th-century pastiche style and meticulous worldbuilding have had significant influence on contemporary fantasy. Her debut was an international bestseller that earned major awards and nominations, and she returned to critical acclaim with Piranesi after a long gap.

Academic Societies

  • British Fantasy Society (recognized within related communities)

Archives

  • Likely holdings in British Library and publisher archives

In Popular Culture

  • BBC adaptation of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2015)
  • Works widely discussed in fan sites and wikis (e.g. The Library at Hurtfew)

Quotes

  • Neil Gaiman said of her first short story: "It was terrifying from my point of view to read this first short story that had so much assurance... It was like watching someone sit down to play the piano for the first time and she plays a sonata."
    Source: Interview excerpt reported in The New York Times Magazine (2004)

Trivia

  • Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell took about ten years to complete.
  • Bloomsbury reportedly offered a £1 million advance when purchasing the manuscript.
  • Her partner is science fiction writer Colin Greenland.
  • The audiobook of Piranesi is narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
  • Since around 2006 she has been affected by chronic fatigue syndrome, limiting writing productivity.