Tanith Lee (born in 1947) was a British writer and poet, most known for her science fiction, horror and fantasy works. She was taught to read by her father and started writing at the age of 9, publishing her first novel in 1971. Lee’s extensive body of work includes 90 novels and more than 300 short stories. In 1980 she was the first woman to be awarded the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Lee died in 2015.
Lee herself credits her fascination with weird fiction in her youth with sparking her interest in literature. According to interviews she gave, she always favored writer of “superb weirdness” such as Charles Dickens or Pavel Chekov.
Lee’s writing style is characterized by intense atmospheres, often with a looming sense of dread and described in very sensuous detail. Though her work is often categorized in specific genres, Lee herself has said not to care too much about writing in or for a specific genre. Her characters, often younger in age, frequently have to work through quests, both external and internal and experience a rite of passage into adulthood.
The short story When the Clock Strikes was published in 1983 as part of a collection titled Red as Blood or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer. When the Clock Strikes is a darker, more feminist retelling of Cinderella, interpreting her as a powerful, if evil, witch. It is characteristic of Lee’s writing in that it features a more sinister, adult version of a classic fairy tale, often brining in features from science fiction or horror. Especially prevalent is the reworked dichotomy of the genders. Lee’s female characters gain agency and are equal to the male characters.
