Elizabeth Hand
An American writer who masterfully blends the unsettling beauty of the weird with the raw grit of punk rock and noir.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American writer·Birthday: March 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Elizabeth Hand emerged from the punk scene of Washington D.C., a background that infused her literary voice with a potent sense of subversion and edge. Her work, often categorized as dark fantasy or speculative fiction, resists easy labels, weaving together elements of myth, psychological horror, and deep character study. She first gained significant attention with her novel 'Waking the Moon,' which established her talent for creating immersive, atmospheric worlds where ancient forces collide with contemporary life. Hand's protagonists are frequently artists, outsiders, or damaged seekers, reflecting her enduring interest in the creative process and its costs. Beyond novels, her short stories are celebrated for their precision and power, earning her multiple World Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Awards. She has also carved a niche as a sharp critic, reviewing for major publications and bringing a practitioner's insight to the analysis of genre fiction. Living much of her life on the coast of Maine, the stark, beautiful landscape often seeps into her narratives, adding a layer of palpable, almost sentient, setting to her already rich tales.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Elizabeth was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Elizabeth Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Elizabeth's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the World Fantasy Award for her collection 'Last Summer at Mars Hill'.
- Authored the cult classic novel 'Waking the Moon,' a landmark of modern dark fantasy.
- Received the Shirley Jackson Award for her novella 'The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon'.
- Has been a longtime contributing reviewer for The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.
Did You Know?
She worked at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum early in her career.
Hand is a dedicated long-distance runner.
She co-wrote a pioneering media tie-in novel for the video game 'Myst'.
Her novel 'Wylding Hall' is structured as an oral history of a fictional 1970s British folk band.
“We are all of us haunted, by the past, by lost possibilities, by the people we used to be.”
