Susan Barker has joined the Manchester Writing school teaching team.

Barker has authored 3 novels. Her first two novels, Soyanora Bar (2005), The Orientalist and the Ghost (2008) were longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.

Her most recent novel, The Incarnations (2014), follows the journey of a taxi driver in contemporary Beijing who receives letters from a stalker, claiming to be his soulmate from his five previous lives.

In the story that follows, Barker weaves tales from Asian history, including the Tang Dynasty, the invasion of Genghis Khan and the Cultural Revolution, in what The Guardian describe as “multi-layered and masterful” narrative.

Barker lived in Beijing whilst writing the novel, in order to research both modern and imperial China.

Adam Riordan, acclaimed poet, Senior Lecturer and Academic Director of the Manchester Writing School, said ''We are thrilled to have Susan Barker joining the Writing School at Manchester Met. Susan comes with a well established critical reputation and joins us at a important juncture in her writing life with three acclaimed novels behind her and, no doubt, many more to come. We look forward to working with her and learning from her.'' 

Read Sue's staff profile here.

Visit her blog here.

Or follow her on Twitter @SusanKBarker