Siri Hustvedt is an American novelist and essayist. Born on February 19, 1955, she is renowned for her extensive body of work that includes a book of poetry, seven novels, two books of essays, and several works of non-fiction. Her notable books include The Blindfold (1992), The Enchantment of Lily Dahl (1996), and What I Loved (2003), the latter of which brought her significant acclaim. Her other popular works include A Plea for Eros (2006), The Sorrows of an American (2008), The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves (2010), The Summer Without Men (2011), Living, Thinking, Looking (2012), The Blazing World (2014), and Memories of the Future (2019). Many of her works, including What I Loved and The Summer Without Men, were international bestsellers, and her writings have been translated into over thirty languages.

Hustvedt was born in Northfield, Minnesota. Her father, Lloyd Hustvedt, was a professor of Scandinavian literature, and her mother, Ester Vegan, emigrated from Norway at the age of thirty. She holds a B.A. in history from St. Olaf College and a Ph.D. in English from Columbia University; her thesis on Charles Dickens was titled Figures of Dust: A Reading of Our Mutual Friend. Although she primarily gained fame as a novelist, Hustvedt has also produced a book of poetry and published short stories and essays in various esteemed publications, including The Art of the Essay, The Best American Short Stories 1990 and 1991, The Paris Review, Yale Review, and Modern Painters.