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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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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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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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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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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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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Simon Armitage
- Born
- Huddersfield, England
- Genres
- Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Faber and Faber Ltd, Viking
Poet and novelist Simon Armitage was born in 1963 in Huddersfield, England. After studying Geography at Portsmouth Polytechnic, he worked with young offenders before gaining a postgraduate qualification in social work…
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Updated: Kate Atkinson
- Born
- York, England
- Genres
- Short Stories, Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Doubleday (UK)
Kate Atkinson was born in York in 1951 and studied English Literature at Dundee University. After graduating in 1974, she researched a postgraduate doctorate on American Literature. She later taught at Dundee and began…
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Updated: Margaret Atwood
- Born
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Genres
- Short Stories, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Drama, Children
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing plc
Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1939. She is the daughter of a forest entomologist, and spent part of her early years in the bush of North Quebec. She moved, at the age of seven, to Toronto. She studied…
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Alan Ayckbourn
- Born
- London
- Genres
- Drama
- Publisher
- Faber and Faber Ltd
Sir Alan Ayckbourn was born in London in 1939, and has worked in theatre all his life. He has undertaken various roles including actor, writer and director, encouraged by his mentor Stephen Joseph, who founded the…
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Paul Bailey
- Born
- Unknown
- Genres
- Non-Fiction, Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Hamish Hamilton Ltd, Fourth Estate
Writer and broadcaster Paul Bailey was born on 16 February 1937. He won a scholarship to the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1953 and worked as an actor between 1956 and 1964. He became a freelance writer in…
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Biyi Bandele
- Born
- Nigeria
- Genres
- Drama, Fiction
- Publisher
- Jonathan Cape Ltd
Biyi Bandele was born in Nigeria in 1967, and now lives in London. He has written several plays, and worked with the Royal Court Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as writing radio drama and screenplays for…
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Nick Barlay
- Born
- Nigeria
- Genres
- Fiction, Drama, Short Stories
- Publisher
- Sceptre
Nick Barlay is the author of three novels: Curvy Lovebox (1997); Crumple Zone (2000); and Hooky Gear (2001). Together they form a loose trilogy of urban tales that map out the underbelly of contemporary…
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Updated: Sebastian Barry
- Born
- Dublin
- Genres
- Poetry, Fiction, Drama, Children
- Publisher
- Faber and Faber Ltd
Sebastian Barry was born on 5 July 1955 in Dublin and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. His academic posts include Honorary Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa (1984) and Writer Fellow at Trinity College,…
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Neil Bartlett
- Born
- Hitchin, Hertfordshire
- Genres
- Drama, Fiction, Young Adult
- Publisher
- Serpent's Tail
Neil Bartlett was born in 1958 in Hertfordshire, and is a writer, playwright, translator, performer and director. He is the author of novels Mr. Clive and Mr. Page (1996), shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel…
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Alan Bennett
- Born
- Leeds, Yorkshire
- Genres
- Drama, Fiction, Short Stories
- Publisher
- Faber and Faber Ltd, Profile Books
Alan Bennett was born in 1934 in Leeds. He studied at Exeter College, Oxford, then after a period of National Service, became a lecturer for a short time at Oxford University. He co-wrote and starred in Beyond the…
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Ronan Bennett
- Born
- Belfast
- Genres
- Non-Fiction, Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing plc
Ronan Bennett was born on 14 January 1956 in Belfast, Ireland. He was educated at King's College, London, and was a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research in London from 1986-7.His first novel, The…
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Updated: Steven Berkoff
- Born
- London
- Genres
- Short Stories, Non-Fiction, Drama
- Publisher
- Faber and Faber Ltd
Writer, theatre director and actor Steven Berkoff was born in 1937 in Stepney, East London. Educated at the Raines Foundation Grammar School, he trained to be an actor at the Webber Douglas Academy in London, and later…
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Sudha Bhuchar
- Born
- Tanga, Tanzania
- Genres
- Drama
- Publisher
- Methuen Publishing Ltd
Playwright and actor Sudha Bhuchar co-founded Tamasha Theatre Company in 1989 with Kristine Landon-Smith. Her many acting roles include appearances in BBC television's 'Eastenders', BBC Radio 4's 'The Archers' and on…
