Marcus Sedgwick

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) and '' The Dark Horse'' (2002; shortlisted for The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize). 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'' 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 from the American Library Association.

Early life

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

His mother had once worked in Machynlleth at the Centre for Alternative Technology; the area was the setting for Susan Cooper's fantasy series '' The Dark Rising'', and Sedgwick called those books influential for him. He was also influenced by Mervyn Peake’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'' 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'' (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''.

He won numerous awards for his writing, most notably the Michael L. Printz Award 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 as a writer in residence from 2011 through 2014 and wrote reviews for the ''Guardian'' newspaper.

Reception

Kirkus in reviewing his 2016 ''Saint Death'' called out his "characteristic precision of English prose". According to ''The Guardian'', after the 2006 appearance of My Swordhand is Singing, 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

* Branford Boase Award (2001) - ''Floodland''
* Booktrust Teenage Prize winner (2007) - ''My Swordhand Is Singing''
* Michael L. Printz Award (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 Susan Cooper, Thomas Mann and Arthur Schnitzler.

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

Sedgwick was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 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 Dark Horse'' (2001)
* ''A Christmas Wish'' (2003)
* '' Cowards'' (2003)
* '' The Foreshadowing'' (2005)
* '' Blood Red, Snow White'' (2007)
* '' Revolver'' (2009)
* '' White Crow'' (2010)
* '' Midwinterblood'' (Orion Indigo, 2011; U.S., Roaring Brook Press, 2013)
* '' She Is Not Invisible'' (2013)
* '' Dark Satanic Mills'' (2013) – graphic novel co-written with Julian Sedgwick. Illustrated by Marc Olivent and John Higgins
* '' The Ghosts of Heaven'' (2015)
* '' A Love Like Blood'' (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'' (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

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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