The Woman in Black

Susan Hill was born on February 5, 1942, in Scarborough, England. Her first novel, The Enclosure, was published during her first year at King’s College, where she earned her English degree. Her novels, such as The Woman in Black (1983), tend to focus on traditional horror and gothic elements. She has won various awards, such as the Whitbread, and has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize as well. In 2020, Hill was awarded a damehood, or DBE, for her services in the literature field. Her novels include Strange Meeting (1971), I’m the King of the Castle (1970), and The Mist in the Mirror (1992). Writers like Daphne Du Maurier, author of Rebecca, are a big influence for Hill’s writing, and Hill even wrote a sequel to Du Maurier’s novel, Mrs. de Winter (1993).

Hill continues to publish novels, with her most recent books being part of her Simon Serrailler series, which are popular novels that blend typical gothic elements within the crime genre.

Gothic literature explores dark, and, typically, supernatural elements as the stories tend to illustrate a fear of the past. Gothic elements include psychological conflicts, haunted spaces, decay, and overall gloomy settings. This