Farah Mendlesohn

Farah Jane Mendlesohn (born 27 July 1968) is a British academic historian and writer on speculative fiction. She is best-known for her 2008 book Rhetorics of Fantasy, which classifies fantasy literature into four modes based on how the fantastic enters the story. Her work as editor includes the Cambridge Companions to science fiction and fantasy, collaborations with Edward James. The science fiction volume won a Hugo Award. Mendlesohn is also known for books on the history of fantasy, including Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction, co-written with Michael Levy. It was the first work to trace the genre's 500-year history and won the World Fantasy Award. Mendlesohn's academic positions have included a professorship at Anglia Ruskin University. She has served as editor and chair of the science fiction journal Foundation, and as the president of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. In 2015, Mendlesohn received the SFRA's Clareson award for distinguished service to the science fiction field.