Shirley Jackson: The Legendary Author Who Shaped Modern Horror.

Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco, California on December 14, 1916. She was the oldest child, though that didn’t necessarily make her the favorite.

Her debut novel emphasized her resentment over their narrow-minded beliefs over things like Jackson not wanting to follow her mother’s conventional choices. 

She grew up in San Francisco, moving to Rochester, New York her Senior year. From there, she attended the University of Rochester before transferring to Syracuse University, where she met her future husband while working at the campus literary magazine.

If you’ve read Jackson’s work, it should come as no surprise that the author was plagued with anxiety for most of her life.

That sense of nervousness, or never trusting people to fully hide the horrors they are capable of extended into her work in almost every aspect. Escaping a horrific childhood only to end up in an unhappy marriage would take a toll on anyone.

Despite her literary success and raising four happy children, Jackson couldn’t escape her unhappiness. As her health declined with age, her anxiety worsened, leading to periods where she was so crippled with fear of the outside, she couldn’t leave her bedroom.

"The Lottery" was released in The New Yorker on June 26, 1948. Of all the stories ever published in the magazine, "The Lottery" received more letters than any other piece of fiction printed in the publication.

Readers wanted to know what it was about, some wondered where they could watch the ritual, and others simply abused Jackson for daring to write such a dark tale. Many canceled their subscriptions, and the entire summer of 1946 Jackson received a minimum of ten letters a day.

It quickly became one of the most talked-about pieces of literature of the time. “The Lottery” was adapted for radio, television, film, an opera, and even a ballet.

Almost fifty years after its publication, the book was featured on an episode of The Simpsons, and it continues to be taught in High School English classes around the country.

The story takes place in a small, unnamed American village. On a typical summer day, the villagers are all preparing for a local ritual they call “the lottery”.

Jackson focuses on the mundane activities without revealing what the items are going to be used for. Children gather stones, and adults prepare one slip of paper for the family. Everyone is talking about the day and how other nearby towns have discontinued their own lotteries and speculating on what that means.

But when the ritual begins and each family draws a slip of paper, the truth is slowly revealed in each family’s reaction and what happens to the final “winner” of the lottery.

According to Jackson, her mother once told her she was the result of a failed abortion. She grew up as a constant victim of her mother’s disdain, feeling inadequate and vilified over everything from her early birth (her mother resented getting pregnant so early in her marriage) to the fact that Jackson had no interest in being a typical stay-at-home wife and mother.

While many of those resentments were aired in her debut novel, “The Lottery” took aim at how evil conformity and groupthink can truly be. Anything can be destructive, including traditions. 

Despite receiving thousands of letters demanding she explain her intentions behind writing such a grim piece, Jackson remained elusive on answers.

She allegedly told a friend it was based on antisemitism. Another friend reported Jackson told them it was based on people in her town. She told a professor it was sparked from an idea in his folklore class. But the most likely answer is what she wrote to the literary editor of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“The Lottery” was meant to “shock the story’s readers” with “the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.”

Jackson’s final work highlights her own battle with agoraphobia. It’s a gothic mystery set inside the decrepit Blackwood mansion, isolated from the rest of the town.

A family tragedy occurred six years earlier, leaving them ostracized and alone. When a distant cousin visits and becomes close to one of the sisters, the youngest becomes jealous, not wanting any more change to happen.

As events escalate, we discover the truth behind the events that led to the family’s tragic demise and are helpless to watch as more tragedy unfolds.

The themes of isolation and how crippling the feeling of otherness are woven into all of Jackson’s work, but are particularly strong in We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

She also delved into the tenuous line between love and devotion, and how quickly that can turn toxic and smothering.

After reading about psychic researchers, Jackson decided she wanted to write a ghost story. She was intrigued that all the stories she read by these researchers were less about the houses being haunted, and were more focused on the earnest and misguided people, instead. 

The story follows four strangers chosen to live in Hill House for the summer to prove the existence of supernatural events. As the summer goes on, each of them experiences strange occurrences that escalate into a terrifying climax as they all try to make it out of the house alive.

It was nominated for the National Book Award when it was released. Over the years it’s been subject to several adaptations in film, television, radio, and the stage, and it continues to serve as inspiration for horror writers to this day.

By the late 1950s, Jackson’s health was in serious decline. After years of being a heavy smoker, she suffered from chronic asthma, joint pain, and dizziness.

Her doctors believed these were symptoms of a heart problem. Despite responding well to therapeutic interventions and resuming normal activities in her daily life, Jackson died in her sleep on August 8, 1965, at the age of 48 years old.

To honor Jackson’s continued influence and to further her legacy, the Shirley Jackson Awards were created in 2007 with permission from Jackson’s estate.

The awards are given annually at Readercon in recognition of outstanding achievements in psychological suspense, horror, and dark fantasy.