Charlie Connelly
Encyclopedia
Charlie Connelly is an author
and broadcaster. Connelly began his career as a writer of books relating to sporting events, most commonly football. His breakthrough 2002 book, Stamping Grounds, was his fifth, and followed the Liechtenstein national football team
in their unsuccessful campaign to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup
. Connelly's 2004 follow-up, Attention All Shipping, which was his first to deviate from football as its topic, has been listed as a bestseller
and selected as "Book Of The Week" by the UK radio station BBC Radio 4
. In 2007, Connelly released his seventh book, In Search of Elvis, which again focused on travel and the impression left by entertainer Elvis Presley
. Connelly's eighth book, And Did Those Feet: Walking Through 2000 Years Of British And Irish History, was published in December 2008 and was again a BBC Radio 4
"Book of the Week", in January 2009.
In addition to being a writer, Connelly also appears as a presenter on radio and television shows.
. Similarly, he shares with several other writers a fascination with subject-matter that had not previously been a feature of traditional travel writing
. Rather than travelling round Ireland with a fridge (Hawks) or pedalling the route of the Tour de France
(Moore), Connelly's early work focused on football, from Hackney Marshes
to Sarajevo
and most points in between. Stamping Grounds was Connelly's breakthrough, in which he follows the hapless Liechtenstein national football team
through a disastrous if wholly predictable World Cup qualifying campaign. They lost all eight matches without scoring a single goal, but Connelly shows that it is the taking part that counts.
The bestselling Attention All Shipping (2004) was Connelly's first book not to take football as its central subject: again seeking out unusual destinations, he travels to each area mentioned in the shipping forecast
made famous on BBC Radio 4
. The radio station made Attention All Shipping their "Book of the Week", which helped propel the book to the top of the sales charts. In Search of Elvis was published in the UK in January 2007. In it, Connelly travels the globe examining the legacy of Elvis Presley
, a journey that takes him to Uzbekistan, Finland, and Israel, as well as Memphis, Tupelo, and Las Vegas. The associated audiobook was narrated by the actor Julian Rhind-Tutt
. In 2009 his next book And Did Those Feet followed great journeys from British and Irish history and was again a BBC Radio 4
"Book of the Week".
Connelly's work has also appeared in the Guardian
, the Daily Telegraph, the Times
, the Scotsman
and the Herald
; he was also a presenter on the BBC 1 Holiday programme and has lectured at the Royal Geographical Society
. He co-presented the first three series of the BBC Radio 4
programme Traveller's Tree with Fi Glover
. A former professional musician, Connelly plays the ukulele
and lives in Ireland
.
In August 2008 Attention All Shipping was voted the second greatest audiobook of all time in a public vote organised by The Guardian
newspaper and Waterstone's bookshops, finishing behind The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
.
In October 2010 Connelly mentioned on his Twitter
feed that he was working on a novel.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and broadcaster. Connelly began his career as a writer of books relating to sporting events, most commonly football. His breakthrough 2002 book, Stamping Grounds, was his fifth, and followed the Liechtenstein national football team
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
in their unsuccessful campaign to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. Connelly's 2004 follow-up, Attention All Shipping, which was his first to deviate from football as its topic, has been listed as a bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
and selected as "Book Of The Week" by the UK radio station BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. In 2007, Connelly released his seventh book, In Search of Elvis, which again focused on travel and the impression left by entertainer Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. Connelly's eighth book, And Did Those Feet: Walking Through 2000 Years Of British And Irish History, was published in December 2008 and was again a BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
"Book of the Week", in January 2009.
In addition to being a writer, Connelly also appears as a presenter on radio and television shows.
Overview
Connelly's writing exhibits a self-deprecating humour and love of eccentricity that echoes the style of Bill BrysonBill Bryson
William McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE, is a best-selling American author of humorous books on travel, as well as books on the English language and on science. Born an American, he was a resident of Britain for most of his adult life before moving back to the US in 1995...
. Similarly, he shares with several other writers a fascination with subject-matter that had not previously been a feature of traditional travel writing
Travel writing
Travel writing is a genre that has, as its focus, accounts of real or imaginary places. The genre encompasses a number of styles that may range from the documentary to the evocative, from literary to journalistic, and from the humorous to the serious....
. Rather than travelling round Ireland with a fridge (Hawks) or pedalling the route of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
(Moore), Connelly's early work focused on football, from Hackney Marshes
Hackney Marshes
Hackney Marshes is an area of grassland on the western bank of the River Lea in the London Borough of Hackney. It was incorporated into the Lee Valley Park in 1967...
to Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
and most points in between. Stamping Grounds was Connelly's breakthrough, in which he follows the hapless Liechtenstein national football team
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
through a disastrous if wholly predictable World Cup qualifying campaign. They lost all eight matches without scoring a single goal, but Connelly shows that it is the taking part that counts.
The bestselling Attention All Shipping (2004) was Connelly's first book not to take football as its central subject: again seeking out unusual destinations, he travels to each area mentioned in the shipping forecast
Shipping Forecast
The Shipping Forecast is a four-times-daily BBC Radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. It is produced by the Met Office and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The forecasts sent over the Navtex...
made famous on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. The radio station made Attention All Shipping their "Book of the Week", which helped propel the book to the top of the sales charts. In Search of Elvis was published in the UK in January 2007. In it, Connelly travels the globe examining the legacy of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, a journey that takes him to Uzbekistan, Finland, and Israel, as well as Memphis, Tupelo, and Las Vegas. The associated audiobook was narrated by the actor Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt is an English actor. He is best known for his starring role as "Mac" McCartney in the comedy television series Green Wing, the second series of which finished on Channel 4 in May 2006...
. In 2009 his next book And Did Those Feet followed great journeys from British and Irish history and was again a BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
"Book of the Week".
Connelly's work has also appeared in the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the Daily Telegraph, the Times
Times
The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
, the Scotsman
Scotsman
Scotsman may mean:* a man from Scotland, in common parlance - see also Scottish people.* No true Scotsman, a common logical fallacy.*The Scotsman, a national newspaper based in Edinburgh, Scotland....
and the Herald
Herald
A herald, or, more correctly, a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is often applied erroneously to all officers of arms....
; he was also a presenter on the BBC 1 Holiday programme and has lectured at the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
. He co-presented the first three series of the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme Traveller's Tree with Fi Glover
Fi Glover
Fiona "Fi" Glover is a BBC journalist and presenter and, until March 2011, the host of BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live.-Career:...
. A former professional musician, Connelly plays the ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
and lives in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
In August 2008 Attention All Shipping was voted the second greatest audiobook of all time in a public vote organised by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper and Waterstone's bookshops, finishing behind The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
.
In October 2010 Connelly mentioned on his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
feed that he was working on a novel.
External links
- Charlie Connelly.com - Official website
- Biography page on agent's website
- Essex Book Festival Interview
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0110/1231515452739.html Irish Times interview