Salley Vickers is a highly accomplished literature and fiction writer, who was born in Liverpool, UK. She comes from a family with strong political beliefs, as both of her parents were members of the British Communist Party. Vickers was awarded a state scholarship to St Paul's Girl's School, where she received her early education. Later, she went on to study English at Newnham College Cambridge, one of the most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom.
Vickers has had a varied and diverse career, having worked in a number of different fields before becoming a full-time writer. She has held jobs as a cleaner, a dancer, an artist's model, a teacher of children with special needs, a university teacher of literature, and a psychoanalyst. This wealth of experience has undoubtedly enriched her writing, providing her with a deep well of knowledge and insight to draw upon.
Vickers' first novel, 'Miss Garnet's Angel', was an international word-of-mouth bestseller, propelling her to fame and establishing her as a leading voice in contemporary literature. Since then, she has continued to write full-time, producing a string of highly acclaimed novels that have cemented her reputation as a master of the form. In addition to her work as a novelist, Vickers is also a sought-after speaker, lecturing widely on a range of subjects, including the connections between art, literature, psychology, and religion.
In her personal life, Vickers has a number of interests and passions that inform her work. She is an avid opera fan, and bird watching is one of her greatest pleasures. She is also a skilled dancer and a lover of poetry. In fact, it was her father's love of poetry that inspired her name, Salley, which comes from the Irish word for 'willow' and is taken from W.B. Yeats's poem set to music by Benjamin Britten, 'Down by the salley gardens.'