Lucy Steeds

Steeds grew up in London.^[2] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English literature from Jesus College, Oxford in 2015^[3] which was then converted to an Oxbridge Master of Arts (MA) a number of years after graduation.^[4] She is also a graduate of the Faber Academy and the London Library's Emerging Writers programme.^[5]

In 2024,^[6] John Murray Press acquired the rights to publish Steeds' debut historical fiction novel The Artist in 2025. Set in 1920s Provence,^[7] the "psychodrama" follows three characters: English aspiring journalist Joseph Adelaide, the artist Édouard Tartuffe, and Tartuffe's niece Ettie.^[8][9][10] Steeds had been inspired her time living in France and her love of art history. The Artist won the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and was named one of the best historical fiction books of 2025 by The Sunday Times.^[11] It was also shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. It was chosen as the 2025 Waterstones Book of the Year. the judges describing it as "a novel which you don’t just read – you experience it with all your senses".^[12][13]

Steeds splits her time between Amsterdam and London. She has also lived in Paris and Singapore.^[14]