Helene Wecker is a highly acclaimed historical fiction and fantasy author, best known for her “Golem and the Jinni” series of novels. Born in Libertyville, Illinois, Wecker went to Carleton College in Minnesota, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English. After graduation, she worked in various communications and marketing jobs in Seattle and Minneapolis before deciding to pursue her childhood love of writing fiction. Wecker then moved to New York and attended Columbia University to obtain her MFA in fiction writing. It was during this time that she met her Syrian American husband, whose cultural background significantly influenced the stories in her novels.
Wecker's work has been featured in several publications, including the online magazine “Joyland” and the “Barbershop Reading” series in San Francisco. She has also read her short stories at the “KGB Bar” in Manhattan. Her debut novel, “The Golem and the Jinni,” was published in 2013 and quickly gained critical acclaim, earning her multiple awards such as the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature, the VCU Cabell Award for First Novel, and the Harold U. Ribalow Prize. The novel was also nominated for a Nebula Award and a World Fantasy Award.
In June 2021, Wecker published the sequel to her debut novel, titled “The Hidden Palace: A Tale of the Golem and the Jinni.” She is a Midwest native and holds a B.A. in English from Carleton College and an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from Columbia University. Wecker's work has been featured in various literary journals, including “Joyland” and “Catamaran,” as well as in the fantasy anthology “The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories.” She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and children.