Tracy Chevalier is an American novelist born in 1962 and based in London. She is known worldwide for her historical novel *Girl with a Pearl Earring* (1999), inspired by Vermeer's painting and adapted for film in 2003.
Tracy Chevalier(1962 — ?)
Tracy Chevalier
États-Unis, Royaume-Uni
6 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born on October 19, 1962, in Washington, D.C. (United States)
- Published *Girl with a Pearl Earring* in 1999, her most famous novel
- The novel was adapted for film in 2003 with Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth
- Author of several historical novels, including *The Lady and the Unicorn* (2003) and *Remarkable Creatures* (2009)
- Based in the United Kingdom since 1984
Works & Achievements
Her first novel, alternating between a contemporary plot and the story of a Huguenot woman in the 16th century.
Her most famous novel, imagining the story behind Vermeer's painting; a worldwide success and bestseller.
A novel about the creation of the famous medieval tapestries kept at the Cluny Museum in Paris.
A novel set in late-18th-century London, centred on the poet and engraver William Blake.
An account of the life of palaeontologist Mary Anning and her fossil discoveries at Lyme Regis.
A novel about an English Quaker woman confronting slavery and the Underground Railroad in the United States.
The story of a family of American pioneers and the cultivation of apple trees in the 19th century.
A novel spanning the centuries about a dynasty of glassblowers from the island of Murano, near Venice.
Anecdotes
Before becoming a novelist, Tracy Chevalier worked for years as a reference editor in London, compiling directories of writers. She waited until she was nearly thirty to take a creative writing course at the University of East Anglia, proving that you can start an artistic career later in life.
The idea for *Girl with a Pearl Earring* came to her simply from looking at a reproduction of Vermeer's painting that had hung in her bedroom since she was nineteen. One morning she wondered what this young woman with the enigmatic gaze might be thinking, and the whole novel was born from that question.
Vermeer's painting that inspired Tracy Chevalier carries almost no information: we know neither who the young woman is nor the exact date. It is precisely this mystery, these gaps in the story, that allowed the novelist to freely invent a life around the model.
To write her historical novels, Tracy Chevalier carries out real investigations: she learned to sew quilts for *The Last Runaway* and studied the making of medieval tapestry for *The Lady and the Unicorn*, in order to describe the craftspeople's gestures with precision.
Born American in Washington State (the federal capital), Tracy Chevalier settled in England in 1984 and stayed there. So she writes about Europe and British history while keeping the eye of an outsider, which feeds her curiosity for the details of everyday life.
Primary Sources
« My mother did not tell me they were coming. Afterwards she said she did not want me to appear nervous. » (the novel's opening lines, in which the maidservant Griet recounts the Vermeers' arrival).
She explains that she owned a reproduction of Vermeer's painting for years and one day found herself wondering what kind of look the young girl was giving the painter.
The novel gives voice to Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot, the fossil hunters of Lyme Regis, and brings to life their discoveries of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs in the early nineteenth century.
Key Places
Birthplace of Tracy Chevalier, where she grew up before leaving to study and then live in Europe.
University where she earned her degree in English in 1984 before settling in England.
Where she completed a master's in creative writing in 1994, a decisive step toward her career as a novelist.
City where Tracy Chevalier has lived and worked since the 1980s; she writes most of her novels here.
Vermeer's birthplace and the setting of “Girl with a Pearl Earring”; Tracy Chevalier did research there on its seventeenth-century surroundings.
Small coastal town in Dorset, the setting of “Remarkable Creatures” and the site of Mary Anning's fossil discoveries.
Typical Objects
The pearl from Vermeer's painting, the central object of Tracy Chevalier's most famous novel, a symbol of the young girl's desire and mystery.
Tracy Chevalier accumulates notes, outlines and historical reading before writing; each novel rests on meticulous documentary research.
The everyday working tool of the contemporary novelist, on which she writes and revises her manuscripts.
A hand-sewn textile object she learned to make for “The Last Runaway”; it serves as a narrative thread and a coded means of communication for runaway slaves.
At the heart of “Remarkable Creatures,” these fossils gathered on the coast at Lyme Regis embody the beginnings of palaeontology and the discoveries of Mary Anning.
The final product of her work: the mainstream historical novel, sold in millions of copies and translated into dozens of languages.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Tags
Daily Life
Morning
Tracy Chevalier generally devotes her mornings to writing, the time of day when she feels most focused. She holds herself to a regular discipline, drafting a set number of pages or words before allowing herself a break.
Afternoon
The afternoon is often reserved for research: historical reading, visits to museums, archives, or places connected to her novels. She also prepares her promotional tours and responds to requests from her publishers.
Evening
In the evening, she shares in family life in London, reads a great deal, and takes part in the city's cultural life. Like many contemporary writers, she regularly attends literary festivals and meets with her readers.
Food
A twenty-first-century novelist living in London, she eats a varied Western cuisine, blending American and British influences. Her diet is that of a contemporary city dweller, with no particular restrictions.
Clothing
She wears contemporary clothing—comfortable and urban—suited to working from home and to public appearances at festivals or bookshops. At literary events, she opts for a neat but understated outfit.
Housing
Tracy Chevalier lives in a London house, where she has a dedicated workspace set aside for writing. Her surroundings are those of a major European capital, rich in libraries and museums that feed her inspiration.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
The Virgin Blue (La Vierge bleue)
1997
La Jeune Fille à la perle (Girl with a Pearl Earring)
1999
La Dame à la licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn)
2001
Burning Bright
2007
Prodigieuses créatures (Remarkable Creatures)
2009
The Last Runaway
2013
À l'orée du verger (At the Edge of the Orchard)
2016
