Sarah Wise

Biography

Sarah Wise(born ca. 1966) is an English journalist, academic guest lecturer, tutor, and author of books on 19th-century social history for the general reader. In 1984 Sarah Wise matriculated at the University of Southampton, where she graduated in 1988 with a B.A. in English literature. She was from January to June 1985 an exchange student with Rutgers University in New Jersey, thus giving her an excellent opportunity at the age of 19 to explore New York City. After graduating from the University of Southampton, she became a journalist, working in production for the magazine Marie Claire, which launched its UK print edition in 1988. After becoming Marie Claire's chief sub-editor and production editor, she resigned to pursue a career as a freelance journalist with a focus on the arts. She wrote articles for The Guardian, The Independent on Sunday, The Observer Magazine, and The Times, as well as other newspapers and magazines. While working as a freelance journalist, she attended evening classes as part of a joint honours course offered by the English and history departments of Birkbeck College, University of London. The course was for an M.A. in Victorian Studies. While researching her essays for the M.A., she became familiar with the historical incidents that became the basis for her first two books. She completed her M.A. degree in 1996.