Katherine Langrish is a British author of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

for children and

young adults A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

. She was brought up in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

and

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

, and wanted to be a writer from a young age. She was encouraged by her parents, and by the fact that her grandmother was a Yorkshire novelist and playwright of the 1930s, Leonora Thornber.

Life

Langrish attended Ross on Wye Grammar School and Skipton Girls High School and gained a

First Class Honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

in English from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

as an external student. The University also awarded her the Sir Charles Harris Prize for the best results achieved. She went on to study

medieval literature Medieval literature is a broad subject, encompassing essentially all written works available in Europe and beyond during the Middle Ages (that is, the one thousand years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. AD 500 to the beginning of t ...

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

and King's College, London, but did not take a further degree. She worked for six years in the Information Office at

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

, London, before moving to France and then to the United States, where she became involved in

oral storytelling Oral storytelling is an ancient and intimate tradition between the storyteller and their audience. The storyteller and the listeners are physically close, often seated together in a circular fashion. The intimacy and connection is deepened by ...

to schoolchildren. On returning to England in 1999, Langrish began writing

Troll Fell ''Troll Fell'' is a children's fantasy novel written by Katherine Langrish, the first in the Troll Trilogy which comprises ''Troll Fell'', '' Troll Mill'' and '' Troll Blood''. It is set in Viking Scandinavia and is centred about the eponymous mou ...

, which was published to critical acclaim by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

in 2004. Her work is strongly influenced by British,

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

n and Celtic

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

and

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

s. She is a member of the

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...

, the Scattered Authors Society'', and the ''Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators Group''. Her books have been published in Japan, Russia, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, Spain, Italy, Brazil, the US, Australia and Canada. She is married with two daughters and lives in Oxfordshire.

Selected works

Troll Trilogy, published by

: *''

'' (2004) – - a New York Public Library 'One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing', winner of the London Academy & Wates Award 2005. *'' Troll Mill'' (2005) – a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. *'' Troll Blood'' (2007) – one of the School Library Association's Top 160 Books for Boys. Other titles: *''Dark Angels'' (UK title),

2009, also published as The Shadow Hunt (US title), 2010 – a

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samuel W. Craig and H ...

Selection Spring 2010, one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books for Children 2010, nominated for the ALA's Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011. *''

West of the Moon West of the Moon is a studio album by the alternative rock band Tuatara. It was released in 2007, after '' East of the Sun''. Track listing # Bird's Eye View # Los Angeles # Wrong Turn # Are You Feeling Me # When The Love Is Gone # The Old Carvi ...

'' (

2011) – the Troll Trilogy republished in one volume. *'' Forsaken''

References

External links

*
Complete list of works
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langrish, Katherine Living people English fantasy writers English children's writers Writers from Newcastle upon Tyne Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of University of London Worldwide Alumni of University College London Alumni of King's College London People educated at Skipton Girls' High School