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Exploring the World of Tanith Lee

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In

The Life and Death of One Who Ran with the Torch

Tanith Lee, born in 1947, was a British author best known for her distinctive dark fantasy and horror. She wrote over 90 novels and was the first woman to receive the British Fantasy Award. However, her journey to becoming a celebrated author was far from easy.

Lee struggled with reading until she was eight because of a mild form of dyslexia. With her father’s support, she overcame this challenge and found solace in books, despite the difficulties of constantly moving and the bullying that followed her to each new school. Although she managed to publish a few short stories, a ninety-word vignette, and a children’s novel, many of her other works faced repeated rejections from publishers, forcing her into soul-crushing jobs.

“Many didn’t even reply. It didn’t stop me from writing (evidently), but it stopped me from hoping.” —Tanith Lee; Birthgrave​

Her debut novel, Birthgrave, a dark and atmospheric tale of a woman awakening with no memory of her past inside an extinct volcano, was accepted by DAW Books in 1975. This breakthrough allowed Lee to do what she had always meant to do – write.

Her career, however, hit a slump in the 1990s, exacerbated by changes in the publishing industry. At one point, she even received letters from fans asking if she had died, as no new work had been published for years. Her unbounded imagination and desire to mix genres became a burden in a market that had grown increasingly rigid.

The rise of online book sales, which offered new opportunities for smaller publishers, gave Lee a second chance to share her talents. She never stopped writing, even during her battle with cancer, which she ultimately lost in May 2015.

A woman with blonde hair, dark makeup, and wearing black attire.
Photo of Tanith Lee (2009) by John Kaiine.

The Unmistakable Style that Influenced Me

Lee’s writing captivated me from the moment I first encountered it. Her poetic style, vivid descriptions, and aristocratic choice of words evoke the music of exotic instruments and the taste of spices from the Far East. Even when writing about vulgar or grotesque themes, the touch of her pen remains as delicate as a peacock’s feather. Her rich vocabulary, influenced by Oscar Wilde, William Blake, and William Shakespeare, adds depth and texture to her prose.

As an author myself, I am fascinated by Lee’s ability to create haunting atmospheres. I find her relentless pursuit of her dreams especially inspiring, despite being undervalued and eventually blacklisted for crossing genre boundaries and leaving readers with open-ended stories. Her feminist voice and strong female characters resonate with me, not as a point of contention, but as a testament to her craft.

I dream of one day translating her works into my native language, and I aspire to find a writing style in English that is as distinctive as hers.

Tanith Lee remains one of the most influential figures in dark fantasy and horror. I hope this article has given you an intriguing glimpse into her fascinating world and left you eager to explore more.

In future articles, I will delve deeper into Lee’s individual works and their lasting impact on the literary world. Join me as we explore these unique stories and their profound themes.

May Tanith Lee inspire you, as she has inspired me.

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to meeting you in the next article!

Yours truly,

Nathaniel Wonderful

Sources:
Wikipedia, The Guardian, Lambda Literary

Illumine the world

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nathanielwonderful@gmail.com

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