Susan Wyndham graduated from Sydney University with a BA (Honours in English Literature). She began her journalism career as a cadet with the Sydney Morning Herald in 1981 and held positions there as a news reporter, feature writer and editor of 'Good Weekend Magazine'. From 1988 to 1996 she worked in New York as correspondent for The Australian newspaper and studied book publishing at New York University. Back in Sydney she was literary editor of the Sydney Morning Herald 1996-1999, deputy editor (features/arts) 1997-2000 and has been a senior writer, focusing on books and culture, since 2000. In 2007, she returned to the role of literary editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. Wyndham stepped down from this position in January 2017.