Elizabeth E. Wein
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Elizabeth E. Wein (, born October 2, 1964) is an American-born writer best known for her
young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...
historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...
. She holds both American and British citizenship.


Personal life

Elizabeth E. Wein was born in New York City on October 2, 1964. She moved to England when she was three. When she was six, her father, Norman Wein, was sent to the
University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...
in Jamaica, where she lived from 1970 to 1973. As a child, she was fluent in
Jamaican Patois Jamaican Patois (; locally rendered Patwah and called Jamaican Creole by linguists) is an English-based creole language with influences from West African, Arawak, Spanish and other languages, spoken primarily in Jamaica and among the Jamaican ...
. Wein moved back to the United States when her parents separated, and she was raised by her mother Carol Flocken in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...
until her death in a car accident in 1978, after which Wein lived with her maternal grandparents. She wrote her first novel at age 11. Wein attended
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
and, after a year of work-study in England, spent seven years getting a PhD in Folklore at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
. Wein moved to England with her English husband Tim in 1995 and settled in Scotland in 2000. She and Tim have two children. Wein has a passion for planes, and she possesses a
private pilot licence A private pilot licence (PPL) or private pilot certificate is a type of pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration). The basic licence requirements are determined by the Inter ...
which she received in 2003.


Writing career

Wein's first five books recount a version of the
King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
stories which moves the narrative to the
Kingdom of Aksum The Kingdom of Aksum, or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom in East Africa and South Arabia from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, based in what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea, and spanning present-day Djibouti and Sudan. Emerging ...
in 6th century Ethiopia. The stories focus on her interpretation of Medraut (
Mordred Mordred or Modred ( or ; Welsh: ''Medraut'' or ''Medrawt'') is a major figure in the legend of King Arthur. The earliest known mention of a possibly historical Medraut is in the Welsh chronicle ''Annales Cambriae'', wherein he and Arthur are a ...
) and his half-Aksumite, half-British son Telemakos. Her 2012 novel, ''
Code Name Verity ''Code Name Verity'' is a young adult historical fiction novel by Elizabeth Wein published in 2012. It focuses on the friendship between two young British women in World War II: a spy captured by Nazis in German-occupied France and the pilot wh ...
'', is a World War II thriller focusing on the friendship between an English woman, a Scottish woman, a transport pilot and a spy. It received critical acclaim; it was awarded an Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel and designated a
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 ...
Honor book in 2013. A follow-up novel, '' Rose Under Fire'', also set in World War II, tells the story of an
Air Transport Auxiliary The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between fac ...
pilot who is captured and sent to the
Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a Nazi concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure of 1 ...
. Wein's short stories have been published in collections edited by
Ellen Datlow Ellen Datlow (born December 31, 1949) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award ( Horror Writers Association). Career Datlow began her car ...
,
Terri Windling Terri Windling (born December 3, 1958, in Fort Dix, New Jersey) is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram St ...
, and
Sharyn November Sharyn November is an American writer and an editor of books for children and teenagers. Until March 2016 she was Senior Editor for Viking Children's Books and Editorial Director of Firebird Books, which is a mainly paperback (reprint) imprint ...
. She is a regular reviewer for the ''New York Times Book Review.''


Works


Novels

*''Black Dove, White Raven'' (Disney-Hyperion, February 2015, ) *''Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron'' (Disney-Lucasfilm Press, 2017, ) *''Firebird'' (Barrington Stoke, 2018, ) *''White Eagles'' (Barrington Stoke, 2019, )


''Code Name Verity'' sequence

These novels take place before or during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and share a number of recurring characters. *''
Code Name Verity ''Code Name Verity'' is a young adult historical fiction novel by Elizabeth Wein published in 2012. It focuses on the friendship between two young British women in World War II: a spy captured by Nazis in German-occupied France and the pilot wh ...
'' (Egmont UK, 2012; Disney-Hyperion, 2012, ; Doubleday Canada, 2012) *'' Rose Under Fire'' (Egmont UK, June 2013; Disney-Hyperion, September 2013, ; Doubleday Canada, September 2013) *''The Pearl Thief'' (Disney-Hyperion, May 2017, ) *''The Enigma Game'' (Bloomsbury Children's (UK), May 2020, )


The Lion Hunters: the Arthurian/Aksumite Cycle

# ''
The Winter Prince ''The Winter Prince'' is Elizabeth Wein's retelling of the Arthurian story of Mordred (here Medraut), detailing Medraut's complicated, intense relationship with his legitimate half-brother Lleu. Plot summary Medraut, the illegitimate son of A ...
'' (Atheneum, 1993; reissued by
Firebird Books Firebird Books (launched January 2002) is an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., publishing mainly paperback reprint editions of science fiction and fantasy for teenagers and adults. It was created by Sharyn November, one of the few children's ...
, 2003, ) # ''A Coalition of Lions'' (Viking, 2003) # ''The Sunbird'' (Viking, 2004) # ''The Mark of Solomon 1: The Lion Hunter'' (Viking, 2007) # ''The Mark of Solomon 2: The Empty Kingdom'' (Viking, 2008)


Short stories

*"Change of Heart". In ''From a Certain Point of View (Star Wars)''. ed. Elizabeth Schaefer. New York: Del Rey, 2017. *"The Color of the Sky". In ''A Tyranny of Petticoats''. ed. Jessica Spotswood. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2016. *"The Battle of Elphinloan". In ''Taking Aim''. ed. Michael Cart. New York: HarperTeen, 2015. *"For the Briar Rose". In ''Queen Victoria's Book of Spells''. ed. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. New York: Tor, 2013. *"Something Worth Doing". In ''Firebirds Soaring''. ed. Sharyn November. New York: Firebird Books, 2009. *"Always the Same Story". In ''The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales''. ed. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. New York: Viking, 2007. *"Chain of Events". In ''Rush Hour: Reckless''. ed. Michael Cart. New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, June 2006. *"Chasing the Wind". In ''
Firebirds Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures ** Fenghuang, sometimes called Chinese phoenix * Vermilion bird, one of the four symbols of the Chinese constella ...
''. ed. Sharyn November. New York: Firebird Books, 2003. *"A Dear Gazelle". In ''
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine ''Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine'' was a quarterly fantasy magazine founded and initially edited by American writer Marion Zimmer Bradley. Fifty issues appeared from summer 1988 through December 2000. It was published by MZB Enterprise ...
'' Issue 47 (2000), pp. 34–38. *"The Ethiopian Knight". In ''Odyssey: A Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy'' Issue 7 (1998), pp. 42–46. *"No Human Hands to Touch". In ''Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers''. ed. Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. New York: HarperPrism, 1998; reprinted New York: Eos, 2002. *"The Bellcaster’s Apprentice". In ''
The Horns of Elfland ''The Horns of Elfland'' is a 1997 fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman and Donald G. Keller. Background ''The Horns of Elfland'' was first published in April 1997 by Roc Books in paperback format. It was a nominee in the 1 ...
''. ed. Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman, and Donald G. Keller. New York: Roc/Penguin USA, 1997. *"New Year’s Eve". In ''Not the Only One''. ed. Tony Grima. Boston: Alyson Press, 1995. *"Fire". In ''Writers of the Future''. Vol. IX. ed. Dave Wolverton. Los Angeles: Bridge Publications, 1993.


Nonfiction

*'' A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II'' (
Balzer + Bray Balzer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Arthur J. Balzer (1895–1962), American merchant * Falk Balzer (born 1973), German athlete * Félix Balzer (1849–1929), French physician * George Balzer (1915–2006), American scree ...
, 2019, )


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wein, Elizabeth E. Living people 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American women writers American children's writers American emigrants to Scotland American fantasy writers American historical novelists American women children's writers American women short story writers Edgar Award winners 21st-century Scottish novelists 21st-century Scottish women writers Scottish children's writers American women historical novelists American women science fiction and fantasy writers Writers of modern Arthurian fiction 1964 births