Suzannah Dunn is an English author and educator. She has written both contemporary and historical novels and her works have been shortlisted for literary awards, such as at the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards and at the

Nero Book Awards The Nero Book Awards are British literary awards, inaugurated in 2023. They are run by coffeehouse chain Caffè Nero in partnership with the Booksellers' Association, Brunel University London Brunel University of London (BUL) is a Publi ...

Biography

Dunn is a graduate of the MA

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

programme at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

, in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, England. She was Director of the MA in Novel Writing at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

, between 1999 and 2005. In 1990, Dunn published her debut novel ''Darker Days Than Usual''. She won a

Betty Trask Award The Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. Each year the awards total at least , with normally one author receiving a larger prize amount ( ...

in 1991 for her second novel, ''Quite Contrary,'' which was reviewed by ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

'' as "a luminous, honest and haunting portrait of a single woman doing a demanding job and trying to stay alive inside." Her 1999 novel ''Commencing Our Descent'' was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards book of the year. Dunn's novel ''The Queen of Subtleties: A Novel of Anne Boleyn'' details the life of the

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

's second wife,

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

, and contrasts her life with the fictional Lucy Cornwallis, the royal confectioner of "subtleties," such as marzipan and icing sugar sculptures.Walsh, Rowena. (7 February 2004)
The lowdown on the love life of Anne Boleyn
. ''Irish Independent.'' Retrieved 4 May 2019. A review of ''The Queen of Subtleties'' took issue with the character of Lucy but also stated that: "Dunn's blend of fiction and real events works and the personal perspective she offers is interesting." ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' has also described Dunn as "a remarkable writer, a lyricist of ordinary life and ordinary people transfigured by extreme emotions." Dunn's 2008 novel ''The Queen's Sorrow'' tells the story of Rafael Prado, who is brought to England by

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

to create a sundial for

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, ...

gardens as a gift to his wife

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...

, and contracts his life with the Queen's experiences of false pregnancies. Her 2010 novel ''The Confession of Katherine Howard'' was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in 2011. Her 2020 novel ''The Testimony of Alys Twist'' explores the impact of the relationship between Mary I and her sister, later

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

, and the political and religious upheavals of the later

Tudor period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

on ordinary English subjects. In 2024, Dunn's novel ''Levitation for Beginners'' was shortlisted for the

Works

*''Darker Days Than Usual'' (1990) *''Quite Contrary'' (1991) *''Blood Sugar'' (1994) *''Venus Flaring'' (1996) *''Tenterhooks'' (1998) *''Commencing Our Descent'' (2000) *''Past Caring'' (2000) *''The Queen of Subtleties: A Novel of Anne Boleyn'' (2004) *''The Sixth Wife'' (2007) *''The Queen's Sorrow'' (2008) *''The Confession of Katherine Howard'' (2010) * ''The May Bride'' (2014) * ''The Lady of Misrule'' (2015) * ''Levitation for Beginners'' (2024)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Suzannah Living people English women novelists English historical novelists Writers of historical romances Alumni of the University of East Anglia Academics of the University of Manchester Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period Year of birth missing (living people) British women romantic fiction writers British women historical novelists