born november english author best known debut novel hugo award winning alternative history clarke began worked spare time decade published short stories strange universe bought manuscript began work publication novel best seller years later published collection short stories clarke novel short stories set magical england written styles 19th century writers strange focuses relationship men stories ladies focus power women gain magic biography early life clarke born november eldest daughter methodist minister wife father posts spent childhood towns scotland enjoyed reading works sir received bachelor_of_arts degree philosophy politics economics oxford years worked publishing spent years teaching english foreign language italy spain returned england spent rest year county durham house looked north_sea began working novel hired cambridge edit job kept years clarke developed idea teaching kind waking dream man 18th century clothes place like venice talking english tourists felt strongly sort magical background magic gone badly wrong recently lord rings afterward inspired try writing novel magic fantasy returned spain clarke began think seriously writing novel signed day fantasy science fiction writing workshop taught science fiction fantasy writers students expected prepare short story attending clarke material novel extracted ladies grace fairy tale women secretly practising magic discovered famous greenland impressed story clarke knowledge sent excerpt friend fantasy writer later said terrifying point view read short story assurance like watching sit play piano time plays showed story friend science fiction writer editor clarke learned events called offered publish story anthology featured pieces regarded science fiction fantasy writers accepted book won world fantasy award best anthology clarke spent years working novel spare time published stories according work known appreciated small group fantasy fans critics internet overall published seven short stories fairy world fantasy award clarke sure finish novel published clarke tried write hours day beginning struggled schedule writing novel beginning end wrote fragments attempted clarke admitting project reader method felt went started beginning novel lack depth surface known going years begun thinking finish year year clarke greenland fell love writing novel moved clarke begun despair started looking help finish sell book literary agent sold unfinished manuscript early publishers rejected sure novel success offered clarke million advance printed hardcover copies simultaneously united_states britain germany seventeen translations begun english publication released september united_states september united_kingdom alternative history set 19th century england napoleonic wars based premise magic existed england returned men relationship men novel investigates nature boundary reason madness described fantasy novel alternative history historical novel draws romantic literary traditions comedy manners gothic tale hero clarke style frequently described particularly 19th century british writers supernatural contrasted highlighted mundane details clarke tone combines arch wit antiquarian text supplemented outlining backstory entire fictional corpus magical scholarship novel received critics reached number new_york_times best seller list remaining list weeks clarke published collection fairy tales presented work different writers seven previously volume focus female mastery dark arts reflected ladies magical abilities prominent role plays saving duke wellington mary queen scots collection sly frequently comical feminist revision tone stories similar novel nearly told frequently story voice similar voice narrates novel title story ladies grace set early 19th century gloucestershire concerns friendship young women fields events story actually appear referenced chapter clarke said long time hope ladies eventually find place novel decided place deliberately kept women domestic sphere interests authenticity important real alternate history appeared meant needed write women servants far possible written 19th century novel reviewers highlighted tale calling striking story collection feminist power relations review volume writes incredibly precise clean cold clarke portrayal women magic story collection urgent desperate natural course things collection received positive reviews critics compared short stories highly acclaimed substantial wrote review stories consistently subtle charismatic reader wish collection novel lacks glorious self possession current clarke currently resides cambridge partner science fiction novelist reviewer working book begins years ends centre characters clarke says bit lower social scale commented progress book slowed ill health awards nominations list works clarke published short stories multiple publications list contains publication collection ladies grace stories ladies grace new_york clock yard book dreams new_york harper hill new_york new_york duke wellington horse fall fairy new_york fairy bridge built new_york new_york london new_york_times october new_york london new_york london high places bbc february
Susanna Clarke