China Miéville

China Miéville was raised by a single mother in London. He studied anthropology at the University of Cambridge, where he became a Marxist, and later completed a master’s and PhD at the London School of Economics. His PhD thesis took the form of a “Marxist Theory of International Law.” While still working on his PhD, Miéville began publishing fiction. His work tends to include elements of the fantasy and science fiction genres, though he dislikes the label “fantasy,” because most people associate it with magical creatures like fairies and elves. The City and the City is one of his most popular and acclaimed books; it won several major awards, including the Locus Award, the Arthur C. Clarke award, and the Hugo Award. In addition to fiction, Miéville has also published comics, a children’s book, academic writing, and a retelling of the 1917 Russian Revolution (October, published in 2017). He is also active in socialist politics.