Lucy Sussex
Encyclopedia
Lucy Sussex is a fantasy and science fiction author, editor, academic and teacher currently residing in Melbourne, Australia.
She is often associated with feminist science fiction
.
, France
, the United Kingdom
and Australia
, where she settled in 1971, and has spent the majority of her time since. She has a degree in English and an MA in Librarianship from Monash University
, and also a Ph.D from the University of Wales
.
She has been writing since the age of eleven. In 1979 she attended a Sydney based Science Fiction Writers' Workshop, conducted by Terry Carr
and George Turner
and soon after published her first short stories locally and overseas.
, Australia
She writes reviews for the West Australian
and The Age
newspapers on a weekly basis, which involves reading 5-6 books per week and cites this as her primary professional occupation.
She has edited several anthologies, including She's Fantastical, the first collection of Australian women's speculative fiction, magical realism and fantasy to be published in that country. The volume was short listed for the prestigious World Fantasy Award in 1996.
She has also described herself as a 'literary archaeologist' having rediscovered and republished the work of nineteenth-century Australian crime writers Mary Fortune and Ellen Davitt, the former of whose identity was uncovered through Sussex's scholarship, having been previously only known by pseudonyms for many decades. Her Ph.D thesis also focused on early women crime writers.
She has for many years maintained an active interest in encouraging emerging writers in the speculative fiction field, conducting a number of workshops, including at Aussiecon III, the 1999 World SF Convention in Melbourne. She was a teacher at Clarion West, in Seattle in 2001 and at Clarion South in 2004. She has regularly conducted workshops in her home city of Melbourne, of varying lengths and themes, most recently facilitating a Science Fiction Novel writing challenge across 2008.
In 2003 Sussex was awarded the A Bertram Chandler award for "Outstanding Achievement in Australian Science Fiction", which recognised the scope of her achievements in the Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy fields as practitioner, academic and teacher.
for short story "My Lady Tongue" about a lesbian feminist
community. She won three further Ditmars, for her novel The Scarlet Rider (1997), novella "La Sentinelle" (2004), and short story "Absolute Uncertainty". "Merlusine" won the Aurealis Award
for Best Fantasy Short Story in 1998, and "La Sentinelle" won an Aurealis Award in 2003. In 2008 her short story "Mist and Murder" won a Sir Julius Vogel Award
.
She was a judge for the international James Tiptree, Jr. Award
award in 1995.
She is often associated with feminist science fiction
Feminist science fiction
Feminist science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction which tends to deal with women's roles in society. Feminist science fiction poses questions about social issues such as how society constructs gender roles, the role reproduction plays in defining gender and the unequal political and...
.
Personal life
Lucy Sussex was born in 1957 in Christchurch, New Zealand. She has lived in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where she settled in 1971, and has spent the majority of her time since. She has a degree in English and an MA in Librarianship from Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, and also a Ph.D from the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
.
She has been writing since the age of eleven. In 1979 she attended a Sydney based Science Fiction Writers' Workshop, conducted by Terry Carr
Terry Carr
Terry Gene Carr was a U.S. science fiction author, editor, and teacher.Terry Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon...
and George Turner
George Turner (writer)
George Reginald Turner was an Australian writer and critic, best known for the science fiction novels written in the later part of his career. He was notable for being a "late bloomer" in science fiction . His first SF story and novel appeared in 1978, when he was in his early sixties...
and soon after published her first short stories locally and overseas.
Fiction
Lucy Sussex's fiction has spanned a range of genres, including Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Crime and Detective fiction and been aimed at the children's, young adult and adult fiction markets. She has published six novels - the first appearing in 1995 - and over 30 short stories, which have been collected across three anthologies. Her first story to gain notice might be 1985's The Lipton Village Society, which involved the creation of an alternate world.Non Fiction, Academic and Editorial Work
Sussex works as a freelance editor and researcher and has published literary criticism and journalism. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, Australia
She writes reviews for the West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
and The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspapers on a weekly basis, which involves reading 5-6 books per week and cites this as her primary professional occupation.
She has edited several anthologies, including She's Fantastical, the first collection of Australian women's speculative fiction, magical realism and fantasy to be published in that country. The volume was short listed for the prestigious World Fantasy Award in 1996.
She has also described herself as a 'literary archaeologist' having rediscovered and republished the work of nineteenth-century Australian crime writers Mary Fortune and Ellen Davitt, the former of whose identity was uncovered through Sussex's scholarship, having been previously only known by pseudonyms for many decades. Her Ph.D thesis also focused on early women crime writers.
Contribution to Science Fiction and Fantasy Culture
Sussex has participated in numerous conventions and conferences, either as guest or panelist.She has for many years maintained an active interest in encouraging emerging writers in the speculative fiction field, conducting a number of workshops, including at Aussiecon III, the 1999 World SF Convention in Melbourne. She was a teacher at Clarion West, in Seattle in 2001 and at Clarion South in 2004. She has regularly conducted workshops in her home city of Melbourne, of varying lengths and themes, most recently facilitating a Science Fiction Novel writing challenge across 2008.
In 2003 Sussex was awarded the A Bertram Chandler award for "Outstanding Achievement in Australian Science Fiction", which recognised the scope of her achievements in the Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy fields as practitioner, academic and teacher.
Awards
In 1989 she won her first Ditmar AwardDitmar Award
The Ditmar Award has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention to recognise achievement in Australian science fiction and science fiction fandom...
for short story "My Lady Tongue" about a lesbian feminist
Lesbian feminism
Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective, most popular in the 1970s and early 1980s , that questions the position of lesbians and women in society. It particularly refutes heteronormativity, the assumption that everyone is "straight" and society should be structured to serve...
community. She won three further Ditmars, for her novel The Scarlet Rider (1997), novella "La Sentinelle" (2004), and short story "Absolute Uncertainty". "Merlusine" won the Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award
Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award.-History:...
for Best Fantasy Short Story in 1998, and "La Sentinelle" won an Aurealis Award in 2003. In 2008 her short story "Mist and Murder" won a Sir Julius Vogel Award
Sir Julius Vogel Award
The Sir Julius Vogel Awards are awarded each year at the New Zealand National Science Fiction Convention to recognise achievement in New Zealand science fiction, fantasy, horror, and science fiction fandom...
.
She was a judge for the international James Tiptree, Jr. Award
James Tiptree, Jr. Award
The James Tiptree, Jr. Award is an annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February of 1991 by science fiction authors Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler, subsequent to a discussion at WisCon.- Background...
award in 1995.
Novels
- The Peace Garden (Oxford University Press, 1989)
- Deersnake (Hodder and Stoughton, 1994)
- The Scarlet Rider (Forge, 1996)
- The Penguin Friend (Omnibus Books, 1997)
- Black Ice, (Hodder Headline Australia, 1997)
- The Revognase (Lothian, 2003)
Short story collections
- My Lady Tongue and Other Tales, (Heinemann, 1990)
- A Tour Guide in Utopia, (MirrorDanse, 2005)
- Absolute Uncertainty, (Aqueduct PressAqueduct PressAqueduct Press is a publisher based in Seattle, Washington, United States which publishes material which features a feminist viewpoint.-History:...
, 2006) - Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies: The Essential Lucy Sussex, (Ticonderoga PublicationsTiconderoga PublicationsTiconderoga Publications is an Australian independent publishing house founded by Russell B. Farr in 1996 and now run by Farr and Liz Grzyb. The publisher specialises in collections of science fiction short stories.-History and current:...
, forthcoming June 2011)
Edited
- The Fortunes of Mary Fortune (Penguin, 1989)
- The Lottery: Nine Science Fiction Stories (Omnibus Books, 1994)
- The Patternmaker: Nine Science Fiction Stories (Omnibus Books, 1994)
- Shadow Alley: Nine Crime Stories (Omnibus Books, 1995)
- She's Fantastical (Sybylla Press, 1995)
Non-fiction
- Contrary Modes (1985) with Jenny Blackford, Russell BlackfordRussell BlackfordRussell Blackford is an Australian writer, philosopher, and critic, based for many years in Melbourne, Victoria. He was born in Sydney, and grew up in Lake Macquarie district, near Newcastle, NSW. He moved to Melbourne in 1979, but returned to Newcastle to live and work in 2009.-Writing career:As a...
and Norman Talbot
Short-fiction
- "The Parish and Mrs Brown" (1983) in Dreamworks: Strange New Stories (ed. David KingDave King (novelist)Dave King is a novelist and poet who lives in Brooklyn, in New York City. He was born in 1955 in Meriden, Connecticut. His father, Henry T. King, was a U.S...
) - "The Lipton Village Society" (1985) in Strange Attractors (ed. Damien BroderickDamien BroderickDamien Francis Broderick is an Australian science fiction and popular science writer. His science fiction novel The Judas Mandala is sometimes credited with the first appearance of the term "virtual reality," and his 1997 popular science book The Spike was the first to investigate the...
) - "Montage" (1985) in Urban Fantasies (ed. David King, Russell Blackford)
- "My Lady Tongue" (1988) in Matilda at the Speed of Light (ed. Damien Broderick)
- "Quartet in D Minor" (1988, also known as "Quartet in Death Minor") in My Lady Tongue & Other Tales
- "God and Her Black Sense of Humour" (1990) in My Lady Tongue & Other Tales
- "Red Ochre" (1990) in My Lady Tongue & Other Tales
- "The Man Hanged Upside Down" (1990) in My Lady Tongue & Other Tales
- "Go-To" (1990) in My Lady Tongue & Other Tales
- "The Bogeyman" (1992) in Spine Chilling: Ten Horror Stories (ed. Penny Matthews)
- "The Lottery" (1994) in The Lottery: Nine Science Fiction Stories
- "Kay & Phil" (1994) in Alien Shores (ed. Peter McNamara, Margaret Winch)
- "The Lady with the Ermine" (1995) in Strange Fruit: Tales of the Unexpected (ed. Paul CollinsPaul Collins (fantasy writer)Paul Collins is an Australian writer and editor who specializes in science fiction and fantasy.Collins has written many books for younger readers...
) - "A Tour Guide in Utopia" (1995) in A Tour Guide in Utopia
- "The Ghost of Mrs Rochester" (1996) in Eidolon #21, Autumn 1996 (ed. Jonathan StrahanJonathan StrahanJonathan Strahan is an editor and publisher of science fiction. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts in 1986....
, Jeremy G. Byrne, Richard Scriven) - "Adeline" (1996) in AurealisAurealisAurealis is a Australian speculative fiction magazine published by Chimaera Publications. The magazine was launched in September 1990 to provide a market for speculative fiction writers, with a particular emphasis on raising the profile of Australian authors.In 1995 the magazine instituted the...
#18 (ed. Stephen Higgins, Dirk Strasser) - "MerlusineMerlusine"Merlusine" is a 1997 fantasy and science fiction novelette by Lucy Sussex.-Background:"Merlusine" was first published in Australia in 1997 in The Horns of Elfland anthology by Roc Books. It was published alongside 14 other stories by the authors Jennifer Stevenson, Doris Egan, Gus Smith, Jack...
" (1997) in The Horns of ElflandThe Horns of ElflandThe Horns of Elfland is a 1997 fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman and Donald G. Keller.-Background:The Horns of Elfland was first published in April 1997 by Roc Books in paperback format. It was a nominee in the 1998 Locus Awards for best anthology, finishing eighth out of 17....
(ed. Ellen KushnerEllen KushnerEllen Kushner is an American writer of fantasy novels, who for many years was the host of the radio program Sound & Spirit, produced by WGBH in Boston and distributed by Public Radio International.- Background and personal life :...
, Delia ShermanDelia ShermanCordelia Caroline Sherman , known professionally as Delia Sherman, is a fantasy writer and editor. Her novel The Porcelain Dove won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award...
, Donald G. KellerDonald G. KellerDonald G. Keller is a science fiction and fantasy editor and critic. He was the co-founder of Serconia Press and was Managing Editor and a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Science Fiction , where his seminal essay on Fantasy of Manners, 'The Manner of Fantasy', appeared in 1991.He...
) - "Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies" (1998) in Dreaming Down-UnderDreaming Down-UnderDreaming Down-Under is a 1998 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jack Dann and Janeen Webb-Background:Dreaming Down-Under was first published in Australia in November 1998 by Voyager Books in trade paperback format....
(ed. Jack DannJack DannJack Dann is an American writer best known for his science fiction, an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, in the majority of cases as editor or co-editor of story anthologies in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres...
, Janeen WebbJaneen WebbJaneen Webb is an Australian writer, critic, and editor working mainly in the field of science fiction and fantasy.-Biography:...
) - "The Queen of Erewhon" (1999) in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
September 1999 (ed. Gordon Van GelderGordon Van GelderGordon Van Gelder is a Hugo Award-winning American science fiction editor. As of 2008, Van Gelder is both editor and publisher of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form...
) - "The Morgue" (2000) in Tales from the Wasteland: Stories from the 13th Floor (ed. Paul Collins)
- "The Gloaming" (2000) in Eidolon No.29/30, Autumn 2000 (ed. Jeremy G. Byrne)
- "Absolute Uncertainty" (2001) in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction April 2001 (ed. Gordon Van Gelder)
- "The Work of Giants — Minimus' story" (2002) in The Road to Camelot (ed. Sophie MassonSophie MassonSophie Masson is a French-Australian fantasy and children's author.-Biography:Sophie Masson was born in Indonesia of French parents who are of mixed ancestry...
) - "Frozen Charlottes" (2003) in Forever Shores (ed. Margaret Winch, Peter McNamara)
- "Runaway" (2003, also known as "Runaways") in Agog! Terrific Tales (ed. Cat Sparks)
- "La SentinelleLa Sentinelle (novelette)-Background:"La Sentinelle" was first published in 2003 in Southern Blood: New Australian Tales of the Supernatural, edited by Bill Congreve and published by Sandglass Enterprises...
" (2003) in Southern Blood: New Australian Tales of the SupernaturalSouthern Blood: New Australian Tales of the SupernaturalSouthern Blood: New Australian Tales of the Supernatural is a 2003 speculative fiction anthology edited by Bill Congreve-Background:Southern Blood was first published in Australia in June 2003 by Sandglass Enterprises in trade paperback format...
(ed. Bill CongreveBill Congreve-Biography:Congreve's first work was published in 1987 with his short story "Collector" which was featured in the Summer 1986/1987 edition of Aphelion Science Fiction Magazine. In 1992 Congreve's first edited anthology was released by Five Islands Press, featuring a short story and introduction by...
) - "Matricide" (2005) in The Year's Best Australian Science Fiction & Fantasy: Volume Two (ed. Bill Congreve, Michelle Marquardt)
- "Duchess" (2006) in Absolute Uncertainty
- "A Small Star of Cold" (2006) in Absolute Uncertainty
- "A Sentimental, Sordid Education" (2006) in Absolute Uncertainty
- "The Revenant" (2006) in Eidolon IEidolon IEidolon I is a 2006 speculative fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan and Jeremy G. Byrne.-Background:Eidolon I was first published in 2006 by Eidolon Books in trade paperback format...
(ed. Jeremy G. Byrne, Jonathan Strahan) - "Mist and Murder" (2007) in New Ceres Issue 2
- "Ardent Clouds" (2008) in The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy (ed. Ellen DatlowEllen DatlowEllen Datlow is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist.-Biography:Datlow was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Omni Online from 1981 through 1998, and edited the ten associated Omni anthologies...
) - "Robots & Zombies, Inc." (2008) in Dreaming Again (ed. Jack Dann)
- "Something Better Than Death" (2009) in AurealisAurealisAurealis is a Australian speculative fiction magazine published by Chimaera Publications. The magazine was launched in September 1990 to provide a market for speculative fiction writers, with a particular emphasis on raising the profile of Australian authors.In 1995 the magazine instituted the...
#42 (ed. Stuart Mayne)