Search the Directory
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Leila Aboulela
- Born
- Cairo, Egypt
- Genres
- Short Stories, Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing plc, Polygon
Leila Aboulela was born in 1964 in Cairo and grew up in Khartoum. She studied for a degree in Economics at Khartoum University, then moved to England to obtain a masters degree in Statistics at the London School of…
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Updated: Dannie Abse
- Born
- Cardiff, Wales
- Genres
- Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Hutchinson Books Ltd
Poet Dannie Abse was born on 22 September 1923 in Cardiff to Jewish parents. He studied Medicine in Wales and at King's College, London, qualifying as a doctor in 1950. His first collection of poetry, After Every Green…
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Chinua Achebe
- Born
- Nigeria
- Genres
- Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Children
- Publisher
- Penguin Group (UK)
Chinua Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930. He was raised in the large village of Ogidi, one of the first centres of Anglican missionary work in Eastern Nigeria, and is a graduate of University College, Ibadan. His…
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Updated: Peter Ackroyd
- Born
- London
- Genres
- Short Stories, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Chatto & Windus, Dorling Kindersley
Novelist, biographer and poet Peter Ackroyd was born in London on 5 October 1949. He graduated from Clare College, Cambridge, and studied at Yale University as a Mellon Fellow, where he completed Notes for a New…
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Fleur Adcock
- Born
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Genres
- Young Adult, Poetry, Non-Fiction
- Publisher
- Bloodaxe Books Ltd, Oxford University Press
Poet Fleur Adcock was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 10 February 1934, but spent much of her childhood, including the war years, in England. She studied Classics at Victoria University in Wellington and taught at…
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Diran Adebayo
- Born
- London
- Genres
- Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
Diran Adebayo was born in London in 1968 to Nigerian parents. He read Law at Oxford University and worked as a journalist on the London newspaper The Voice, before working in television as a researcher and assistant…
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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Born
- Nigeria
- Genres
- Fiction, Short Stories
- Publisher
- Fourth Estate
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria. She studied medicine and pharmacy at the University of Nigeria then moved to the US to study communications and political science at Eastern Connecticut State…
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John Agard
- Born
- Guyana
- Genres
- Short Stories, Poetry, Drama, Children
- Publisher
- Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Playwright, poet, short-story and children's writer John Agard was born on 21 June 1949 in British Guiana (now Guyana). He worked for the Guyana Sunday Chronicle newspaper as sub-editor and feature writer before moving…
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Patience Agbabi
- Born
- London
- Genres
- Poetry
- Publisher
- Payback Press
Patience Agbabi is a poet, performer and workshop facilitator. She was born in London in 1965 to Nigerian parents and spent her teenage years living in North Wales. She was educated at Oxford University and has appeared…
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Updated: Naomi Alderman
- Born
- London, England
- Genres
- Non-Fiction, Fiction
- Publisher
- Penguin Group (UK)
Naomi Alderman was born in London in 1974 and grew up in an Orthodox Jewish community. Her father is Geoffrey Alderman, a well-known Jewish historian and journalist. After attaining a BA in Philosophy, Politics and…
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Updated: Brian Aldiss
- Born
- Norfolk, England
- Genres
- Short Stories, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
Poet, playwright, critic, fiction and science-fiction writer Brian W(ilson) Aldiss was born on 18 August 1925 in Dereham, Norfolk, and is the author of more than 75 books. He was educated at Framlingham College,…
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Tariq Ali
- Born
- Lahore, India
- Genres
- Non-Fiction, Fiction
- Publisher
- Verso Ltd
Writer, journalist and film-maker Tariq Ali was born in Lahore in 1943. He was educated at Oxford University, where he became involved in student politics, in particular with the movement against the war in Vietnam. On…
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Updated: Monica Ali
- Born
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Genres
- Fiction
- Publisher
- Doubleday (UK)
Monica Ali is the daughter of English and Bangladeshi parents. She came to England aged three years, her first home being Bolton in Greater Manchester, and later studied at Oxford University. Her first novel, Brick…
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Gillian Allnutt
- Born
- London, England
- Genres
- Non-Fiction, Poetry
- Publisher
- Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Gillian Allnutt was born on 15 January 1949 in London, but spent much of her childhood in Newcastle upon Tyne. She was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge and the University of Sussex.Since 1973 she has taught…
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Updated: David Almond
- Born
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Genres
- Short Stories, Drama, Children
- Publisher
- Hodder Children's Books, Walker Books Ltd
David Almond was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1951 and grew up in the small mining town of Felling. He was educated at the University of East Anglia and Newcastle Polytechnic. After graduating he worked as a teacher…
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Updated: Moniza Alvi
- Born
- Lahore, Pakistan
- Genres
- Poetry
- Publisher
- Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Moniza Alvi was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and came to England when she was a few months old. She grew up in Hertfordshire and studied at the universities of York and London. Peacock Luggage, a book of poems by Moniza…
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Updated: Martin Amis
- Born
- Oxford, England
- Genres
- Short Stories, Non-Fiction, Fiction
- Publisher
- Jonathan Cape Ltd
Martin Amis was born in Oxford in 1949, the son of the writer Kingsley Amis. He was educated in schools in Britain, Spain and the USA, and graduated from Exeter College, Oxford, with First Class Honours in English. He…
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New: Tahmima Anam
- Born
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Genres
- Fiction
- Publisher
- Canongate Books Ltd
Tahmima Anam is the author of the Bengal Trilogy, which chronicles three generations of the Haque family from the Bangladesh war of independence to the present day. Her debut novel, A Golden Age, was awarded the…
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Rachel Anderson
- Born
- London
- Genres
- Children,
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
Rachel Anderson was born in 1943 and worked for 20 years for BBC Radio, newspapers and magazines as a journalist. She was Children's Book Reviews Editor at Good Housekeeping magazine for 10 years, and in 1990 won the…
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New: Philip Ardagh
- Born
- London
- Genres
- Fiction, Children
- Publisher
- Faber and Faber Ltd, Scholastic Ltd
Philip Ardagh is a prolific writer of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction. He was born in 1961 and worked in advertising and in the library service, before becoming a writer. His novels for adults include The…
