Susanna Clarke is a highly acclaimed English author, best known for her fantasy and alternate history novels. She was born in Nottingham and spent her childhood moving around various towns in Northern England and Scotland. After completing her education at St. Hilda's College, Oxford, Clarke worked in non-fiction publishing before leaving England to teach English. She lived in Turin and Bilbao, where she taught English to executives of the Fiat Motor Company and other students. It was during her time in Durham County, while looking out over the North Sea, that Clarke began writing her groundbreaking debut novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
Clarke's writing career took off in the early 1990s when she started working on Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. She spent a decade crafting her alternate history novel, and in the meantime, published several short stories set in the same universe. In 2003, Bloomsbury Publishing acquired her manuscript, and the novel quickly became a best-seller, earning Clarke a Hugo Award. In 2006, she published a collection of her short stories, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, which further showcased her writing talent and love for 19th-century literature. Clarke's work is known for its pastiche of authors like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, and her ability to bring to life a magical England that captivates readers.
Clarke currently resides in Cambridge, England, with her partner, Colin Greenland, who is also a novelist and reviewer. In addition to her successful novels and short stories, Clarke has published several novellas and short fiction pieces that have been featured in American anthologies. Her work has been well-received by critics and readers alike, earning her a reputation as one of England's most talented fantasy and alternate history authors. Clarke's writing is a testament to her creativity, imagination, and love for storytelling, and she continues to inspire and captivate readers with her unique and engaging stories.