Marcus Sedgwick (8 April 1968 – 15 November 2022) was a British writer, illustrator and musician. He published novels such as '' Floodland'' (2001; winner of the

Branford Boase Award The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is sha ...

) and '' The Dark Horse'' (2002; shortlisted for The

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...

). He authored several young adult and children's books and picture books, a work of nonfiction for adults, and illustrated a collection of myths and a book of folk tales for adults. According to ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' his "most acclaimed titles" were those for young adults. The first U.S. edition of his 2011 novel ''Midwinterblood'' won the 2014

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's y ...

from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

Early life

Marcus Sedgwick was born 8 April 1968 in Preston, a small village in East

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England. He has one brother, Julian, and a half-sister, Ellie. As a child he was shy and recalled being bullied at an all-boys

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

. His mother had once worked in

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a popul ...

at the

Centre for Alternative Technology The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) ( cy, Canolfan y Dechnoleg Amgen) is an eco-centre in Powys, mid-Wales, dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. CAT, despite its name, no longer concentrates its efforts exclu ...

; the area was the setting for

Susan Cooper Susan Mary Cooper (born 23 May 1935) is an English author of children's books. She is best known for '' The Dark Is Rising'', a contemporary fantasy series set in England and Wales, which incorporates British mythology such as the Arthurian le ...

's fantasy series '' The Dark Rising'', and Sedgwick called those books influential for him. He was also influenced by

Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the '' Gormenghast'' books. The four works were part of what Peake conceived ...

’s ''Gormenghast'' series, which his father had introduced him to. He studied mathematics and politics at Bath University. When he was 20 years old, his father died.

Career

Before becoming a full-time author, Sedgwick worked as a booseller at Heffers, a children's bookstore, and in sales at children's publishers Ragged Bears and Walker Books. According to ''The Guardian'' he began writing "seriously" in 1994. His first book, ''Floodland'', was published in 2000, and it received the Branford-Boase award for the best debut children's novel of that year. ''Floodland'' tells the story of Zoe, who lives on her own on an island that used to be part of England before global warming caused the seas to rise. ''Publishers Weekly'' said that "Despite some page-turning chapters, Zoe and her story lack the credibility to sustain readers through the contradictory themes and sometimes unimaginative prose." ''

Alternative Magazine Alternative media are media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media (such as mainstream media or mass media) in terms of their content, production, or distribution.Downing, John (2001). ''Radical Media''. Thousand Oaks, CA ...

'' said it was "a stunning debut novel that precluded more literary brilliance to follow." ''Dark Horse'' (2001) was shortlisted for several awards. ''

My Swordhand is Singing ''My Swordhand Is Singing'' is a novel written by Marcus Sedgwick, set in the early 17th century. It won the 2007 Booktrust Teenage Prize. It was also shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2007. Inspired by the original vampire folklore ...

'' (2006) won a Booktrust award. In 2013 he released ''Dark Satanic Mills,'' a graphic novel written in conjunction with his brother Julian Sedgwick and illustrated by John Higgins. His 2015 book ''The Ghosts of Heaven'', a work of young adult fiction consisting of four loosely connected parts combined into an "intriguing" novel, according to Sarah McCarry writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. He won numerous awards for his writing, most notably the

in 2011 for ''Revolver'', 2014 for ''The Ghosts of Heaven'', and 2016 for ''Midwinter Blood''. At the time of his death he was the most-nominated author for America’s most prestigious book prize for writing for young adults. In addition to writing, Sedgwick worked on film and book projects with his brother Julian. He was represented by RCW Literary Agency. Sedgwick taught creative writing at

Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshire. The insti ...

as a writer in residence from 2011 through 2014 and wrote reviews for the ''Guardian'' newspaper.

Reception

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

in reviewing his 2016 ''Saint Death'' called out his "characteristic precision of English prose". According to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', after the 2006 appearance of

, his works were "regularly on the shortlist for every major award for his subsequent titles", and although seldom receiving major awards were "always critically acclaimed, much admired by other writers and popular with readers".

Awards

(2001) - ''Floodland'' *

Booktrust Teenage Prize The Booktrust Teenage Prize was an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize was administered by Book Trust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading. The Booktrust Teenage Prize was last awarded in ...

winner (2007) - ''My Swordhand Is Singing'' *

(2014) - ''Midwinterblood'' * Michael L. Printz Honor (2016) - ''The Ghosts of Heaven''

Personal life and death

In addition to drawing and writing, Sedgwick played the drums, and he was an avid music lover. Some of his favorite writers include

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

and

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

. Sedgwich was married and divorced three times. He has one daughter from his first marriage. Sedgwick was diagnosed with

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing core symptoms are ...

, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, in 2014. After his diagnosis he moved to the French Alps and then to Dordogne. His final release before his death was an adult work of nonfiction entitled ''All In Your Head: What Happens When Your Doctor Doesn’t Believe You?'' Sedgwick died in France on 15 November 2022, at the age of 54.

Bibliography

Novels

* '' * '' Witch Hill'' (2001) – nominated for

Edgar Allan Poe Awards The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

* '' The Dark Horse'' (2001) * ''A Christmas Wish'' (2003) * '' Cowards'' (2003) * '' The Foreshadowing'' (2005) * ''

Blood Red, Snow White ''Blood Red, Snow White'' is a historical novel by Marcus Sedgwick published in 2007. It is a novel set during the Russian Revolution, a fictionalised account of the time the author Arthur Ransome spent in Russia. It was shortlisted for the 2007 ...

'' (2007) * ''

Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

'' (2009) * '' White Crow'' (2010) * '' Midwinterblood'' (Orion Indigo, 2011; U.S., Roaring Brook Press, 2013) * '' She Is Not Invisible'' (2013) * ''

Dark Satanic Mills "And did those feet in ancient time" is a poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic '' Milton: A Poem in Two Books'', one of a collection of writings known as the Prophetic Books. The date of 1804 on the title page is probably when the ...

'' (2013) – graphic novel co-written with Julian Sedgwick. Illustrated by Marc Olivent and John Higgins * ''

The Ghosts of Heaven ''The Ghosts of Heaven'' is a novel by Marcus Sedgwick, published on 2 October 2014. The book is divided into four brief quarters, with each part telling a different story. The book circles around the idea "Spirals are everywhere". The story be ...

'' (2015) * ''

A Love Like Blood A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name ...

'' (2015) * ''Killing the Dead'', (World Book Day 2015) - Short sequel to ''The Ghosts of Heaven'' * ''Mister Memory'' (2016) * ''Saint Death'' (2016) * ''The Monsters We Deserve'' (2018) * ''Voyages in the Underworld of Orpheus Black'' (2019) (with Julian Sedgwick) * ''Snowflake, AZ'' (2019) * ''Dark Peak'' (2021)

Short fiction

* ''Wrath'' (2022)

Series

Dead Days

* '' The Book of Dead Days'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2003) * '' The Dark Flight Down'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2004)

Swordhand

* ''

My Swordhand Is Singing ''My Swordhand Is Singing'' is a novel written by Marcus Sedgwick, set in the early 17th century. It won the 2007 Booktrust Teenage Prize. It was also shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2007. Inspired by the original vampire folklore ...

'' (2006) * '' The Kiss of Death'' (2008)

Raven Mysteries

* ''Food and Fang'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2009) * ''Ghosts and Gadgets'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2009) * ''Lunatics and Luck'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2010) * ''Vampires and Volts'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2010) * ''Magic and Mayhem'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2011)

Elf Girl and Raven Boy

* ''Fright Forest'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2012) * ''Monster Mountains'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2012) * ''Scream Sea'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2013) * ''Dread Desert'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2013) * ''Terror Town'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2014) * ''Creepy Caves'' (London: Orion Children's Books, 2015)

Cudweed

* ''Cudweed's Birthday'' (2011) * ''Cudweed in Outer Space'' (2012) * ''Cudweed's Time Machine'' (2013)

Other works

* ''Outremer: Jaufré Rudel and the Countess of Tripoli – A Legend of the Crusades'' (1993) – illustrator * ''The Emperor's New Clothes'' (2004) – picture book * ''Doctor Who: The Spear of Destiny'', (2013) * ''Snow'' (2016) * ''Scarlett Hart: Monster Hunter'' (2018) * ''All In Your Head: What Happens When Your Doctor Doesn’t Believe You?'' (2022)

References

External links

* * *
Story behind A Love Like Blood – Online Essay by Marcus Sedgwick
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedgwick, Marcus 1968 births 2022 deaths English children's writers British writers of young adult literature Michael L. Printz Award winners 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English novelists 21st-century English male writers People from Kent