Maggie Gee's bestselling novel The White Family (Saqi) was shortlisted for the 2002 Orange Prize for Fiction. She was chosen as one of Granta's best new writers in 1983. Her works include Light Years (Saqi), The Burning Book, Grace, Lost Children and The Ice People. She has a doctorate in the twentieth-century novel, and is a Fellow and Council Member of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in London.