Edith Pattou is an American author known for her fantasy novels East (2003) and its sequel West (2018). She writes for young adults and children, combining folklore, adventure and magic.
Pattou was born in Evanston, Illinois, and grew up in the nearby town of Winnetka. Her childhood home, with its distinctive red door, was shared with her parents and many cats. She attributes her love of books to her mother, a passionate reader, and her father, who often invented imaginative bedtime stories featuring heroic bears. "My favourite stories were always the ones my dad made up," she said, recalling how they shaped her creativity.
Books were a constant refuge for Pattou, especially during difficult times, such as her parents' divorce when she was nine. After moving to Chicago, she attended the Francis W. Parker School, where she initially struggled to fit in but later thrived. She discovered her passion for storytelling, writing fairy tales, and creating multimedia projects there.
At sixteen, Pattou spent a summer in Ireland on the Experiment in International Living programme. This experience deepened her fascination with Celtic folklore, which later inspired her Songs of Eirren series (Hero's Song, 1991; Fire Arrow, 1997). "I fell in love with Irish fairy tales and folklore," she said, a love that has remained with her throughout her career.
Pattou received her B.A. in English Literature from Scripps College in California, where she won the Crombie Allen Award for Creative Writing. She then earned a master's in English literature from Claremont Graduate School and a master's in library and information science from UCLA. Her thesis combined her love of storytelling and illustration, focusing on fairy tales about castles.
She worked in various fields, including as a children's librarian in Glendale, California, and Denver, Colorado. She particularly enjoyed reading to children, an experience that influenced her later work.
Pattou's literary career began with the Songs of Eirren series and expanded to include East, a retelling of the Norwegian folktale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon", and its sequel, West. She also authorises the bestselling picture book Mrs Spitzer's Garden (2001) and the free-verse young adult novel Ghosting (2014).
She now lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Charles, and their daughter, Vita.
Photo credit: edithpattou.com
Pattou was born in Evanston, Illinois, and grew up in the nearby town of Winnetka. Her childhood home, with its distinctive red door, was shared with her parents and many cats. She attributes her love of books to her mother, a passionate reader, and her father, who often invented imaginative bedtime stories featuring heroic bears. "My favourite stories were always the ones my dad made up," she said, recalling how they shaped her creativity.
Books were a constant refuge for Pattou, especially during difficult times, such as her parents' divorce when she was nine. After moving to Chicago, she attended the Francis W. Parker School, where she initially struggled to fit in but later thrived. She discovered her passion for storytelling, writing fairy tales, and creating multimedia projects there.
At sixteen, Pattou spent a summer in Ireland on the Experiment in International Living programme. This experience deepened her fascination with Celtic folklore, which later inspired her Songs of Eirren series (Hero's Song, 1991; Fire Arrow, 1997). "I fell in love with Irish fairy tales and folklore," she said, a love that has remained with her throughout her career.
Pattou received her B.A. in English Literature from Scripps College in California, where she won the Crombie Allen Award for Creative Writing. She then earned a master's in English literature from Claremont Graduate School and a master's in library and information science from UCLA. Her thesis combined her love of storytelling and illustration, focusing on fairy tales about castles.
She worked in various fields, including as a children's librarian in Glendale, California, and Denver, Colorado. She particularly enjoyed reading to children, an experience that influenced her later work.
Pattou's literary career began with the Songs of Eirren series and expanded to include East, a retelling of the Norwegian folktale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon", and its sequel, West. She also authorises the bestselling picture book Mrs Spitzer's Garden (2001) and the free-verse young adult novel Ghosting (2014).
She now lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Charles, and their daughter, Vita.
Photo credit: edithpattou.com
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