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Lucy Ellmann

b. 1956

American writer

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About Lucy Ellmann

Born 1956. Lucy Ellmann is a British novelist, writer and author.

Lucy Ellmann (born 18 October 1956) is an American-born British novelist based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Biography Her first book, Sweet Desserts, won the Guardian Fiction Prize. She is the daughter of the American biographer and literary critic Richard Ellmann and of the feminist literary critic Mary Ellmann. She is the sister of the critic Maud Ellmann. She is married to the American writer Todd McEwen. Her fourth novel, Dot in the Universe, was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction and shortlisted for the Believer Book Award. Her novel, Ducks, Newburyport was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 2019. It won the 2019 Goldsmiths Prize and the 2020 James Tait Black Prize for Fiction.

Ellmann lectured and led seminars in Creative Writing at the University of Kent between September 2009 and July 2010.

Ellmann has been recognised with honours and fellowships, including the Royal Literary Fund; Queen Margaret University 2017/18; University of Dundee 2011/12; Queen Margaret University 2005–07; and been a Hawthornden Fellow and Hawthornden fellowship residence at Hawthornden Castle.

Notable works Sweet Desserts (1988) Varying Degrees of Hopelessness (1991) The Spy Who Caught a Cold (screenplay, 1995) Man or Mango? A Lament (1999) Dot in the Universe (2003) Doctors & Nurses (2006) Mimi (2013) Ducks, Newburyport (2019) Things Are Against Us (2021)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Courtauld Institute of Art, University of Essex, Falmouth School of Art
Employers
University of Kent
Awards
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Family & relationships

Spouse
Todd McEwen

People in Lucy Ellmann's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Lucy Ellmann's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Lucy Ellmann?

American writer

When was Lucy Ellmann born?

Lucy Ellmann was born on 18 October 1956 in Evanston.

What is Lucy Ellmann's occupation?

Lucy Ellmann is a novelist, writer and author.

What nationality is Lucy Ellmann?

Lucy Ellmann is British.

Sources & further reading

Β· Wikipedia: Lucy Ellmann

Β· Wikidata: Q1873769

Β· DBpedia: Lucy Ellmann

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Lucy Ellmann. https://biography.guide/lucy-ellmann/

MLA: "Lucy Ellmann." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/lucy-ellmann/.

Chicago: "Lucy Ellmann." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/lucy-ellmann/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.

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