Biography

Eliza Clark was born in Toronto in 1963 and earned a B.F.A. at York University in 1985. She also attended the Banff School of Fine Arts in 1988. She worked as a television producer and writer before writing fiction full-time. Her stories have appeared in many magazines and literary journals including Saturday Night, Chatelaine, Flare, and The Malahat Review and her book reviews have appeared in the Globe and Mail.

Miss You Like Crazy, Eliza Clark's first novel, was published in 1991 by Coach House Press and was called "an overnight sensation." It ran through three printings and was shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and Ontario's Trillium Book Award. In 1999 Miss You Like Crazy was re-issued by HarperCollins Canada.

Her second novel What You Need, published in 1994 by Somerville House, solidified Eliza Clark's standing as one of Canada's freshest and most musical literary voices. In addition to winning critical acclaim, her romantic comedy/road novel was nominated for the prestigious Giller Prize.

Eliza Clark's third novel, Bite the Stars was published in 1999 by HarperCollins Canada. Her most mature work to date, it won praise for its dark and lyrical portrayal of a mother's attempts to save her son from the death penalty.

In addition to her three novels, Eliza Clark has written two picture books for children, Butterflies and Bottlecaps(1996) and Seeing and Believing(1999) produced in collaboration with illustrator Vladyana Krykorka. She has taught creative writing at Ryerson University in Toronto and at the Humber School for Writers and currently teaches at York University. Her work Pride and Joy was adapted as a radio drama for CBC's Morningside.

In 2000 Eliza was honoured by NOW magazine's Readers' Choice Awards as Best Emerging Writer.
In 2002 Eliza was featured in The Notebooks, with sixteen other Canadian writers under 40.

Eliza Clark lives in the Beaches area of Toronto with her family.