Nicola Griffith biography

Nicola Griffith is an acclaimed British-American novelist whose career is defined by a fierce commitment to technical precision and emotional depth. Born in Yorkshire, England, in 1960, Griffith's early life was marked by a rebellious spirit - ranging from playing in bands to teaching women's self-defence. These diverse experiences, alongside her later diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, have deeply shaped her exploration of the human body, power, and identity.

Griffith first gained recognition in the 1990s for her groundbreaking science fiction, winning a Nebula Award for her debut novel, "Ammonite," and multiple Lambda Literary Awards. However, her transition into historical fantasy and "secret history" with the novel "Hild" cemented her status as a literary titan. Her work is characterised by "radical empathy," a term she uses to describe her process of inhabiting a character's sensory world with absolute fidelity. Whether writing about 7th-century saints or contemporary detectives, Griffith rejects easy tropes, opting instead for dense, lyrical prose and rigorous research. Now a naturalised U.S. citizen living in Seattle with her wife, author Kelley Eskridge, Griffith remains a vital advocate for diverse voices in fiction and a master of blending high-stakes history with profound personal transformation.

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