Joan Aiken

Joan Aiken was a highly regarded English author, born on September 4, 1924, in Rye, Sussex. She came from a family deeply rooted in literature, including her father, Conrad Aiken, who was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet, and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge, also a writer. Her mother, Jessie MacDonald, was a Master’s graduate from Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Aiken was widely recognized for her contributions to children's literature, fantasy, and thriller genres. She began her professional career working for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war and then as an editor and freelance writer for Argosy magazine. It was after this that she started writing full-time, primarily focusing on children's books and thrillers. Her notable accolades include the Guardian Award in 1969 and the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1972.

Her famous "Wolves Chronicles," which started with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, is set in an alternate historical period where James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution. This series follows the adventures of the cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite across the world. Another popular series is about Arabel and her raven Mortimer, illustrated by Quentin Blake, which has been adapted for television. Aiken also wrote Austen sequels and Regency romances, showcasing her versatility as an author.

Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories, setting her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye, a National Trust property. This novel recounts, in a fictional form, an alleged haunting experienced by Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom were residents of the house and wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a few notable ghost stories, reflecting the family's shared interest in this genre.