The Seeker — About Susan Cooper

Susan Cooper was born in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England. Her early studies took her to Oxford where she was the first woman to edit the University magazine. Upon graduating with a Master's degree in English, she began writing her first books during evenings and weekends while working as a newspaper reporter.

Over Sea, Under Stone, her first book in the Dark Is Rising series, was written in response to a publishing house competition for a children's story. This novel sets the foundation of Arthurian and Celtic mythology that permeates the entire series. Cooper drew great inspiration from the landscape and mythology of England and Wales, her home and the setting for the Dark Is Rising series. She grew up immersed in Welsh and Arthurian legend, among a variety of ancient folk beliefs, and held onto tales about the Lost Land—an ancient Welsh version of the Atlantis story—and about the magical properties of trees and the powerful forces that were released on Halloween, Christmas Eve and Twelfth Night. In addition to mythology and folklore, the influence of music and even the English weather is notable in her writing.

Susan Cooper is best known for her acclaimed sequence of fantasy novels, The Dark Is Rising, which includes Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark Is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; and Silver on the Tree. In her over 30 year career, she has written for child and adult audiences in news, television, cinema, and theater. Cooper continues to write and publish as well as participate in lectures.

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