Sylvie Denis was born into a modest family in
Saint-Gaudens, who moved to
Ussel when she was eight. She became interested in science fiction at an early age, first through a television series, then by discovering the books in the
Fleuve Noir Anticipation collection. Her first works appeared in the late 1980s. Her short story ''L'Anniversaire de Caroline'' won the Solaris Prize in 1988 and was included in her first collection, , in 1995. In 1993, she was transferred to the Lycée Jean Monnet in
Cognac, and settled there. She also published a number of short stories during this period, and is regarded as an exceptional novelist. She won the Prix Rosny aîné in 2000 for
Dedans, dehors. Her collection
Jardins virtuels was republished in 2003 by
Gallimard in a much expanded version (thirteen short stories instead of five). It was hailed by the critics; and referred to Sylvie Denis as a ‘grande dame’ of French science fiction. In 2002, she gave up teaching to make a living from her writing. and left her injured, Sylvie Denis left Cognac, where she had spent 20 years, for the Gers region. In 2022 she protested against the eviction of
Stéphanie Nicot from the festival Les imaginales by publishing a letter of support for Nicot with other authors among whom
Floriane Soulas,
Sylvie Lainé,
Ïan Larue,
Estelle Faye,
Sara Doke,
Robin Hobb,
Lucie Chenu, , and . ==Selected works==