Sophy Roberts

Career Trajectory: From Oxford to the Ends of the Earth

We’ve followed Sophy Roberts’s work as it evolved from literary scholarship to groundbreaking narrative journalism. After earning a double first in English literature at Oxford University and a master’s in creative writing, she honed her craft at Columbia University’s journalism school and the London College of Printing. Her career began under the mentorship of Jessica Mitford, the renowned muckraking author, which instilled in Roberts a commitment to investigative rigor and social justice.

Key Articles and Impact

• The Colonial Backstory to Safari (The Wall Street Journal, 2025)

This seminal piece deconstructs the romanticized narrative of African safaris by tracing their origins to colonial exploitation. Roberts juxtaposes archival records with interviews from Maasai guides and conservationists, revealing how wildlife tourism remains entangled with systemic inequities. The article sparked industry-wide conversations about ethical safari practices and was cited in UNESCO’s 2025 report on decolonizing cultural heritage.

Beat Analysis: Pitching to a Storyteller of Hidden Histories

1. Prioritize Underdocumented Cultural Narratives

Roberts consistently amplifies marginalized voices, as seen in her FT Weekend column on Iraqi musicians preserving Mesopotamian melodies. Pitches should highlight communities maintaining traditions against geopolitical odds, such as Indigenous craft revival movements or endangered linguistic practices. Avoid generic “cultural preservation” angles unless tied to specific, underreported stories.

2. Bridge Past and Present in Environmental Reporting

Her WSJ safari piece demonstrates how historical context elevates environmental journalism. Successful pitches might explore contemporary conservation efforts through archival lenses—for example, how 19th-century botanical surveys inform modern rewilding projects. Roberts avoids purely technical climate stories unless they intersect with human histories.

Awards and Achievements

“Roberts finds the pulse of forgotten worlds with a historian’s precision and a poet’s sensibility.” — The Guardian

• Sunday Times Bestseller (2025): A Training School for Elephants debuted at #3 in nonfiction, rare for a work blending travelogue and colonial history. This achievement underscores her ability to make academic research accessible to broad audiences.

Pitching Recommendations

• Lead with anthropological insights, not just travel hooks
• Include primary sources like diaries or oral histories
• Connect landscapes to their political evolution
• Highlight female or Indigenous experts
• Avoid press-release-driven tourism pitches