Rachel Seiffert was born in 1971 in Oxford to German and Australian parents, and was brought up bilingually. Her first novel, The Dark Room (2001), was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won a Betty Trask Award in 2002. She followed this up with a book of short stories, 'Field Study', in 2004, and a novel, 'Afterwards', in 2007. Her subtle and elegant prose style has drawn comparisons with that of Katherine Mansfield. Seiffert lives in London with her family.
