Tanith Lee biography

Tanith Lee was born in London, England, in 1947. Following the completion of her secondary education, she was employed in a variety of jobs, including file clerk, assistant librarian, shop assistant and waitress. She also attended art college for one year, but quickly came to the conclusion that she would rather express herself through words than pictures.

Lee's first publication was Eustace, a 90 word vignette which appeared in The Ninth Pan Book Of Horror Stories in 1968. After receiving numerous rejections from British publishers for her adult fantasy novel The Birthgrave, she wrote a letter of inquiry to DAW Books, the American publishing firm founded by well-known science fiction fan and editor Donald A. Wolheim. DAW published The Birthgrave in 1975, beginning a relationship that lasted until 1989 and saw the publication of 28 books. In 1976, following the publication of her second and third books, Don't Bite The Sun and The Storm Lord, Lee was able to quit her day job and become a full-time freelance writer.

Tanith Lee has won or been nominated for a variety of awards, including the World Fantasy Award, the August Derleth Award and the Nebula. She has appeared as Guest of Honour at a number of science fiction conventions, including Boskone XVIII in Boston in 1981, and the 1984 World Fantasy Convention in Ottawa.

In 1987, she met John Kaiine, a British writer and artist. The couple married in 1992 and currently live in the south of England.

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