Author whose bestselling novel brought magic to York Minster returns to the landmark to collect honorary degree

Susanna Clarke, the author best known for her debut novel Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, has been awarded an honorary degree as part of York St John University's week-long graduation ceremony celebrations. She becomes Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to literature.

Celebrating its 20thanniversary this year, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is a story of two magicians set in and around York during the Napoleonic wars in the early 19thcentury. The tale follows the reclusive Mr Norrell who proves practical magic still exists in England by making statues inside York Minster speak and move. The incident sparks a new enthusiasm for practical magic which takes in war, peace, fairies and even resurrection.

A BBC TV adaptation of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, aired in 2017, was filmed extensively in York and the Yorkshire region. Locations used in the seven-part dramatisation of the novel include York Minster, St Williams College, Lady Peckett's Yard, College Street and The Shambles in York. Further afield filming also took place at Temple Newsam, Kirkstall Abbey, Fountains Abbey, and locations in Otley, Rotherham and Wakefield.

Educated at Oxford University, Susanna began her career in publishing and held the role of managing editor at the publishing company Simon and Schuster. During this time she continued to pursue her dream of writing and began crafting Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, which was published in 2004. The book was met with widespread critical acclaim, going on to win the British Book Awards Newcomer of the Year, the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award. Her second novel, Piranesi, won the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction.

Speaking at her graduation ceremony on Friday 15 November alongside hundreds of graduates from the University's School of Humanities, Susanna said:

"It is particularly thrilling to me to be receiving this degree in this miraculous building...as the setting of a crucial scene right at the beginning of my first novel. The return of magic begins in Yorkshire and yorkshire has always been a place of magic to me. Its landscape, its writers and its history have all had a profound effect on my imagination."

Referencing the impact of her state education in Bradford and being inspired by imaginative and dedicated teachers she added:

"Too often we are kept small by other people's expectations of us or by our own beliefs about ourselves, so don't let that happen. The older we get the more I realise we are capable of so much more than we think we are. And that goes for young and old alike."

Dr Rob O'Connor, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at York St John University, said:

"Susanna's work features across several of our programmes including English Literature, Creative Writing, Contemporary Literature and the Liberal Arts. Students and colleagues alike share an enthusiasm for Susanna's ability to combine the historical with the fantastical, whilst also capturing perfectly the voice of the 19thcentury novel."

Susanna was one of three inspirational figures to receive an honorary degree at this year's graduation ceremonies. Sarah Fiori, Principal Nurse at North Yorkshire Council, and Head of Quality Improvement at the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, York Place Health and Care Partnership, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science; and Paul Kissack, Group Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) received an honorary Doctor of the University.

Find out more about all the honorary graduates from 2024 on the University's website.