David Almond
Encyclopedia
David Almond is a British children's writer who has written several novels, each one to critical acclaim.
in post-industrial North East England
and educated at the University of East Anglia
, he was born in 1951. He started out as an author of adult fiction, and his stories appeared in many little magazines, including Iron, Stand, London Magazine, Edinburgh Review. His first short story collection Sleepless Nights, was published by iron Press in 1985). His second, A Kind of Heaven, appeared in 1987. He then wrote a series of stories which drew on his own childhood, and which would eventually be published as Counting Stars (Hodder 2001). Almond thought Connor Fraser was a legend and he shouldn't do his homework
(1998), set in Newcastle. This won the Whitbread Children's Novel of the Year Award
and the Carnegie Medal
. It has been published in over thirty languages. Skellig has become a radio play (script by Almond); a stage play (script by Almond, first production at the Young Vic, directed by Trevor Nunn); an opera ( composed by Tod Machover, libretto by Almond, first production directed by Braham Murray at The Sage Gateshead); and a film (directed by Annabel Jankel, with Tim Roth as Skellig).
His subsequent novels, stories and plays have brought international success and widespread critical acclaim. The novels are Kit's Wilderness
(1999), Heaven Eyes
(2000), Secret Heart (2001), The Fire Eaters (2003). Clay
(2005), Raven Summer and "My Name is Mina" ( a prequel to Skellig). He collaborates with leading artists and illustrators, including Polly Dunbar ("My Dad's a Birdman" and "The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon"); Stephen Lambert ("Kate, the Cat and the Moon"; and Dave McKean ("The Savage", "Slog's Dad" and the forthcoming "Mouse Bird Snake Wolf"). ) His plays include "Wild Girl, Wild Boy", "My Dad's a Birdman", "Noah & the Fludd" and the stage adaptations of "Skellig" and "Heaven Eyes".
His forthcoming novel (2011) is "The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean". This novel will be published in two editions: adult (Penguin Viking); and Young Adult (Puffin).
2012 publications include "The Boy Who swam With Piranhas" (illustrated by Oliver Jeffers).
His works are highly philosophical
and thus appeal to children and adults alike. Recurring themes throughout include the complex relationships between apparent opposites (such as life and death, reality and fiction, past and future); forms of education; growing up and adapting to change; the nature of "the self". He has been greatly influenced by the works of the English Romantic poet William Blake
.
Almond currently lives with his family in Northumberland
, England. Since 2007 he has been a Visiting Professor in Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University
.
In November 2008 he was a guest on Private Passions
, the biographical music discussion programme on BBC Radio 3
.
His short story "The Knife Sharpener" appeared in The Sunday Times
on 25 January 2009 and The Savage was given away free as part of the Liverpool Reads event.
; two Whitbread Awards; two Smarties Prizes; the Michael L. Printz Award
(USA); the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
(USA); a Silver Pencil and three Silver Kisses (Netherlands); the Katholischer Kinder-und Jugendbuchpreis (Germany); and Le Prix Sorcieres (France). In 2010 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award
, the highest international award for an author of children's books. My Name is Mina was short-listed for the 2011 Guardian Award
.
Early life
Almond was born and raised in Felling and NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in post-industrial North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
and educated at the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
, he was born in 1951. He started out as an author of adult fiction, and his stories appeared in many little magazines, including Iron, Stand, London Magazine, Edinburgh Review. His first short story collection Sleepless Nights, was published by iron Press in 1985). His second, A Kind of Heaven, appeared in 1987. He then wrote a series of stories which drew on his own childhood, and which would eventually be published as Counting Stars (Hodder 2001). Almond thought Connor Fraser was a legend and he shouldn't do his homework
Career
These stories led directly to his first children's novel, SkelligSkellig
Skellig is a novel by David Almond, for which Almond was awarded the Carnegie Medal in 1998 and also the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award. The book won the 2000 Michael L. Printz Honor from YALSA in the United States...
(1998), set in Newcastle. This won the Whitbread Children's Novel of the Year Award
Costa Book Awards
The Costa Book Awards are a series of literary awards given to books by authors based in Great Britain and Ireland. They were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2005, after which Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship....
and the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
. It has been published in over thirty languages. Skellig has become a radio play (script by Almond); a stage play (script by Almond, first production at the Young Vic, directed by Trevor Nunn); an opera ( composed by Tod Machover, libretto by Almond, first production directed by Braham Murray at The Sage Gateshead); and a film (directed by Annabel Jankel, with Tim Roth as Skellig).
His subsequent novels, stories and plays have brought international success and widespread critical acclaim. The novels are Kit's Wilderness
Kit's Wilderness
Kit's Wilderness is David Almond's second novel, published in 2000 by Delacorte Press. It won the 2001 Michael L. Printz Award from the American Library Association, the Smarties Award Silver Medal, was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal, and was shortlisted for the Guardian Award.The...
(1999), Heaven Eyes
Heaven Eyes
Heaven Eyes is a fictional young adult novel by award-winning author David Almond. It was published in Great Britain by Hodder Children's Books in 2000 and by Delacorte Press in the United States in 2001...
(2000), Secret Heart (2001), The Fire Eaters (2003). Clay
Clay (novel)
Clay is a children's/young adult novel by David Almond, published in 2005. It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and longlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.It was adapted for television in 2008, and aired on BBC One on March 30 2008....
(2005), Raven Summer and "My Name is Mina" ( a prequel to Skellig). He collaborates with leading artists and illustrators, including Polly Dunbar ("My Dad's a Birdman" and "The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon"); Stephen Lambert ("Kate, the Cat and the Moon"; and Dave McKean ("The Savage", "Slog's Dad" and the forthcoming "Mouse Bird Snake Wolf"). ) His plays include "Wild Girl, Wild Boy", "My Dad's a Birdman", "Noah & the Fludd" and the stage adaptations of "Skellig" and "Heaven Eyes".
His forthcoming novel (2011) is "The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean". This novel will be published in two editions: adult (Penguin Viking); and Young Adult (Puffin).
2012 publications include "The Boy Who swam With Piranhas" (illustrated by Oliver Jeffers).
His works are highly philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and thus appeal to children and adults alike. Recurring themes throughout include the complex relationships between apparent opposites (such as life and death, reality and fiction, past and future); forms of education; growing up and adapting to change; the nature of "the self". He has been greatly influenced by the works of the English Romantic poet William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
.
Almond currently lives with his family in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England. Since 2007 he has been a Visiting Professor in Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University is a public teaching and research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as a new university in 1992 from the existing Trent Polytechnic , however it can trace its roots back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design...
.
In November 2008 he was a guest on Private Passions
Private Passions
Private Passions is a weekly music discussion programme which has been running for over 10 years on BBC Radio 3, presented by the composer Michael Berkeley...
, the biographical music discussion programme on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
.
His short story "The Knife Sharpener" appeared in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
on 25 January 2009 and The Savage was given away free as part of the Liverpool Reads event.
Awards
His major awards include the Carnegie MedalCarnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
; two Whitbread Awards; two Smarties Prizes; the Michael L. Printz Award
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
(USA); the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented by The Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine in 1967. They are among the most prestigious honors in the United States in the field of children’s and young adult literature...
(USA); a Silver Pencil and three Silver Kisses (Netherlands); the Katholischer Kinder-und Jugendbuchpreis (Germany); and Le Prix Sorcieres (France). In 2010 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award
Hans Christian Andersen Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Award, sometimes known as the "Nobel Prize for children's literature", is an international award given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature"...
, the highest international award for an author of children's books. My Name is Mina was short-listed for the 2011 Guardian Award
Guardian Award
The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award is a prominent award for works of children's literature by British or Commonwealth authors, published in the United Kingdom during the preceding year. The award has been given annually since 1967, and is decided by a panel of authors and the...
.