Where in the World is Susanna Clarke?

Where in the World is

Susanna Clarke?

In 2004, Susanna Clarke published her first novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, a story of two rival magicians in England during the Napoleonic Wars.

The book was well-received by critics, spent eleven weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list, and won numerous awards, including Time’s Best Novel of the Year (2004) and the Hugo Award for Best Novel (2004). Two years later, Clarke published a collection of short stories entitled, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories (2006), which while viewed favorably by critics, was not as popular with readers as her novel. Since then, Clarke has been residing with her husband and fellow writer, Colin Greenland, in Cambridge. She recently published an essay in A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen (2009), and it is rumored that she is writing a sequel to Strange & Norrell. Clarke makes the following comment on her website:

There are new characters to be introduced, though probably some old friends will appear too. I’d like to move down the social scale a bit. Strange and Norrell were both rich, with pots of money and big estates. Some of the characters in the second book have to struggle a bit harder to keep body and soul together. I expect there’ll be more about John Uskglass, the Raven King, and about how magic develops in England.

There is no set release date for the upcoming novel, nor can it be confirmed that Clarke has finished writing, but fans eagerly await Clarke's big return.

Image of Susanna Clarke taken by Patrick Nielsen Hayden, March 11, 2006.