Stef Penney

Stef Penney is a Scottish author who made an extraordinary debut with The Tenderness of Wolves, which won the Costa Book of the Year Award and became an international bestseller. Her novel The Beasts of Paris is a richly imagined, beautifully written historical novel set during and after the Siege of Paris in 1870-71, weaving together the stories of diverse characters, human and animal, against the backdrop of one of the most dramatic episodes in French history. Penney's writing is characterised by its atmospheric settings, its compassion for outsiders and misfits, and its ability to bring historical periods to vivid, sensory life. The Tenderness of Wolves, set in the snowbound wilderness of nineteenth-century Canada, was remarkable for the fact that Penney wrote it without having visited Canada, relying on extensive research to create a setting of extraordinary vividness. The Beasts of Paris demonstrates the same meticulous research and imaginative power, creating a portrait of Paris under siege that captures both the grand historical sweep of events and the intimate human experiences of hunger, fear, courage, and love. Penney's novels are distinguished by their literary ambition, their complex characterisation, and their ability to combine genre elements with genuine literary quality. The Beasts of Paris is available as an audiobook, offering listeners a sumptuous, atmospheric historical novel from one of Scotland's most gifted storytellers.