Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo was born on April 6, 1975, in Jerusalem, Israel, and grew up in Los Angeles, California, where she developed a passion for storytelling, folklore, and the dark, complex myths of Eastern European culture. She attended Yale University, where she studied comparative literature, and worked for many years in journalism and entertainment before the success of her debut novel launched her career as one of the most celebrated authors in contemporary young adult fantasy. Bardugo has spoken about drawing on Jewish folklore and the rich cultural heritage of Eastern Europe — particularly Russian and Slavic mythology and history — as foundational influences on her fiction.
Bardugo’s debut, Shadow and Bone (2012), introduced the Grishaverse — an elaborately constructed fantasy world inspired by Tsarist Russia, where soldiers called Grisha can manipulate matter and where a young cartographer named Alina discovers she has a unique and terrifying power. The novel launched the Shadow and Bone trilogy and was immediately praised for its vivid world-building, its morally complex characters, and its willingness to subvert fantasy tropes. The series has been adapted into a hugely popular Netflix television series that significantly expanded its already substantial fanbase.
Bardugo’s companion duology, Six of Crows (2015) and Crooked Kingdom (2016), is widely regarded as her masterwork. Set in the same Grishaverse but following a crew of criminals and outcasts planning an impossible heist, the duology is a showcase for Bardugo’s skills as a plotter, a character writer, and a creator of morally ambiguous antiheroes whose relationships — with each other, with power, with their own traumatic pasts — drive the narrative with irresistible force. The books have been credited with revitalizing interest in heist narratives and ensemble casts in YA fantasy, and their characters have inspired some of the most passionate fan communities in contemporary YA literature.
Bardugo’s adult crossover novel Ninth House (2019), set at Yale and following a young woman who becomes involved in the secret societies that manage the practice of dark magic on campus, marked a confident expansion into adult literary dark fantasy. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy. Leigh Bardugo lives in Los Angeles and continues to expand the Grishaverse and explore new fictional territory, her status as one of the defining authors of her generation in fantasy securely established.