Susan Cooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan Cooper
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Cooper in 2013
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| Born | Susan Mary Cooper 23 May 1935 Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | Somerville College, Oxford |
| Period | 1964–present |
| Genre | Children's fantasy novels |
| Notable works | The Dark Is Rising series |
| Notable awards | Newbery Medal 1976 Margaret A. Edwards Award 2012 |
| Spouse | |
Susan Mary Cooper (born May 23, 1935) is an English author. She is famous for writing books for children.
She is best known for her fantasy series called The Dark Is Rising. These books are set in England and Wales. They use old British stories, like those about King Arthur and Welsh heroes.
In 2012, Susan Cooper won the Margaret A. Edwards Award. This award is given by the American Library Association. It recognized her important work in writing for teenagers. In 2024, she was also named a Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master. This award celebrates her big impact on science fiction and fantasy writing.
Contents
About Susan Cooper
Susan Cooper was born in 1935 in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England. Her father worked at the Natural History Museum. Her mother was a teacher. Susan also has a younger brother who became a writer.
She lived in Buckinghamshire until she was 21. Then her parents moved to a village in Wales called Aberdyfi. Susan went to Slough High School. Later, she studied English at Somerville College at the University of Oxford. While there, she was the first woman to edit the student newspaper, Cherwell.
After college, she worked as a reporter for The Sunday Times newspaper in London. She wrote her own stories in her free time. During this time, she started writing The Dark Is Rising series. Her first novel, Mandrake, was published in 1964.
In 1963, Susan Cooper moved to the United States. She married Nicholas J. Grant. He was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She had two children with him. After that, she became a full-time writer. She focused on The Dark Is Rising and Dawn of Fear (1970). Dawn of Fear was a novel based on her own experiences during World War II. She has written many books for children and adults. She has also written picture books, movie scripts, and plays.
In 1996, she married the actor Hume Cronyn. They had worked together on a play called Foxfire. After Hume Cronyn passed away in 2003, she moved back to Massachusetts. She built a house near the North River. The history of this area inspired her 2013 book, Ghost Hawk.
In 2007, her book The Dark Is Rising was made into a movie called The Seeker.
From 2006 to 2012, Susan Cooper was on the board of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance. This group helps promote reading and libraries in the US.
In 2017, she gave a special talk at Pembroke College, Oxford. She spoke about how fantasy literature is important today. In 2019, she published The Shortest Day. This book is based on a poem she wrote for a Christmas show in the 1970s.
Awards and Recognition
Susan Cooper has won many awards for her writing.
In 2012, she won the Margaret A. Edwards Award. This award honors writers who have made a "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature." The award recognized her five Dark Is Rising novels. The judges said her books use old Celtic and Arthurian myths. They create a big battle between good and evil. They also show a young hero, Will Stanton, growing up.
In 2024, she was named the 40th Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master. This award celebrates her important work in science fiction and fantasy.
She has also won awards for single books:
- 1974: Newbery Honor for The Dark Is Rising
- 1976: Newbery Medal for The Grey King
- 1976: Tir na n-Og Award for The Grey King
- 1978: Tir na n-Og Award for Silver on the Tree
- 1989: Janusz Korczak Literary Prize for Seaward
Books by Susan Cooper
Susan Cooper has written many different kinds of books.
Nonfiction Books
- J. B. Priestley: Portrait of an Author (1970) – This is a book about the English writer John Boynton Priestley.
- The Magic Maker: A Portrait of John Langstaff and His Christmas Revels (2011) – This book is about John Langstaff, who started the Revels performances.
Plays and Screenplays
- Foxfire (1982) – A play she wrote with Hume Cronyn.
She also wrote screenplays for TV shows and movies:
- Dark Encounter (1976)
- The Dollmaker (1984)
- To Dance with the White Dog (1993)
- Jewel (2001)
Novels
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Children's Picture Books
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Short Stories
- "Muffin" – A story set during World War II.
- "Ghost Story"
- Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out – Susan Cooper wrote one part of this book.
- The Exquisite Corpse Adventure – She wrote one episode of this story.
- "The Caretakers"
See also
In Spanish: Susan Cooper para niños
