Julie Myerson
Encyclopedia
Julie Myerson is an English author and critic. As well as writing both fiction and non-fiction books, she is also known for having written a long-running column in The Guardian
entitled "Living with Teenagers" based on her own family experiences. She has also appeared regularly as a panellist on the arts programme Newsnight Review.
.
She has written a column for The Independent
about her domestic trials including her husband, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director Jonathan Myerson
, and their children Jacob (known as Jake), Chloe and Raphael. More recently she has written a column for the Financial Times
about homes and houses. Myerson is a regular reviewer on the UK arts programme, Newsnight Review, on BBC2.
Her first novel was Sleepwalking (1994), and it was to some degree autobiographical. It deals in part with the suicide of an uncaring and abusive father (Myerson's own father committed suicide). The main character Susan is heavily pregnant and begins an affair. She also feels she is haunted by her father's mother, reliving the neglect that made him abusive.
In The Touch (1996) a group of young people try to help a tramp who preaches fundamentalist Christianity, and who turns violently against them.
In Me and the Fat Man (1999) a waitress takes to earning extra money giving oral sex in a park, though not out of necessity; she gets involved with two other men, friends who have an awkward relationship and a secret between them that turns out to be related to her own birth.
Laura Blundy
(2001) is set in the Victorian period, and Julie Myerson tries to bring out the freshness and modernity of the period as it would have appeared at the time.
Something Might Happen
(2003) is about a murder in a Suffolk
seaside town.
column and later book that detailed the lives of a family with three teenage children. The column was stopped after one of the children was identified and was ridiculed at school. After the Guardian confirmed the author of the series it removed the articles from its website to 'protect their privacy'.
She was at the centre of a media controversy in March 2009 when details of her book 'The Lost Child: a True Story' emerged; commentators criticised Myerson for what Minette Marrin in The Sunday Times
, called her "betrayal not just of love and intimacy, but also of motherhood itself". Tim Lott
called the book a "moral failure", adding "Julie has betrayed Jake for her own ambition". However, some critics took a diametrically opposing view. The Guardian
's Mark Lawson
called the book noble, saying that "The elegance and thoughtfulness of this book – and its warning of a fate that may overtake many parents – should not be lost in the extra-literary frenzy.", while The Observer
's Kate Kellaway called the book rash but courageous, writing that Myserson had tried to "write honestly about a nightmarish situation and a subject that never seems to get the attention it deserves." The book was published in the U.S. in August 2009.
Myerson stated she may also sell the film rights at some point in the future, "maybe in 20 years."
Her son described her as "slightly insane" and the publication as "obscene", and declared his intention to change his name to "Jake Karna". The last name refers to Karna
, a Hindu warrior who, in the Mahabharata
, is rejected by his mother.
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
entitled "Living with Teenagers" based on her own family experiences. She has also appeared regularly as a panellist on the arts programme Newsnight Review.
Education and journalism
She studied English at Bristol University before working for the National TheatreRoyal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
.
She has written a column for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
about her domestic trials including her husband, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter and director Jonathan Myerson
Jonathan Myerson
Jonathan Myerson is notable as the husband of the leading novelist Julie Myerson. He is also a British dramatist and novelist, writing principally for television and radio....
, and their children Jacob (known as Jake), Chloe and Raphael. More recently she has written a column for the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
about homes and houses. Myerson is a regular reviewer on the UK arts programme, Newsnight Review, on BBC2.
Fiction
Myerson's novels are usually quite dark in mood tending towards the supernatural.Her first novel was Sleepwalking (1994), and it was to some degree autobiographical. It deals in part with the suicide of an uncaring and abusive father (Myerson's own father committed suicide). The main character Susan is heavily pregnant and begins an affair. She also feels she is haunted by her father's mother, reliving the neglect that made him abusive.
In The Touch (1996) a group of young people try to help a tramp who preaches fundamentalist Christianity, and who turns violently against them.
In Me and the Fat Man (1999) a waitress takes to earning extra money giving oral sex in a park, though not out of necessity; she gets involved with two other men, friends who have an awkward relationship and a secret between them that turns out to be related to her own birth.
Laura Blundy
Laura Blundy
Laura Blundy is a historical novel by Julie Myerson set in Victorian London. It is the story of a woman whose life takes a turn for the worse.-Plot summary:...
(2001) is set in the Victorian period, and Julie Myerson tries to bring out the freshness and modernity of the period as it would have appeared at the time.
Something Might Happen
Something Might Happen
Something Might Happen is a novel by Julie Myerson about a murder in a small English seaside town and how it affects the community as well as friends and family of the murder victim. The story is not a whodunnit although it incorporates various elements of the crime novel...
(2003) is about a murder in a Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
seaside town.
Family controversies
Julie Myerson was the anonymous author of 'Living with Teenagers', a GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
column and later book that detailed the lives of a family with three teenage children. The column was stopped after one of the children was identified and was ridiculed at school. After the Guardian confirmed the author of the series it removed the articles from its website to 'protect their privacy'.
She was at the centre of a media controversy in March 2009 when details of her book 'The Lost Child: a True Story' emerged; commentators criticised Myerson for what Minette Marrin 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...
, called her "betrayal not just of love and intimacy, but also of motherhood itself". Tim Lott
Tim Lott
Tim Lott is a British author. After running his own magazine publishing business, he graduated from the London School of Economics in 1986....
called the book a "moral failure", adding "Julie has betrayed Jake for her own ambition". However, some critics took a diametrically opposing view. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's Mark Lawson
Mark Lawson
Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author.-Life and career:Born in Hendon, London, Lawson was raised in Yorkshire and is a Leeds United fan. He was educated at St Columba's College in St Albans and took a degree in English at University College London, where his lecturers...
called the book noble, saying that "The elegance and thoughtfulness of this book – and its warning of a fate that may overtake many parents – should not be lost in the extra-literary frenzy.", while The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
's Kate Kellaway called the book rash but courageous, writing that Myserson had tried to "write honestly about a nightmarish situation and a subject that never seems to get the attention it deserves." The book was published in the U.S. in August 2009.
Myerson stated she may also sell the film rights at some point in the future, "maybe in 20 years."
Her son described her as "slightly insane" and the publication as "obscene", and declared his intention to change his name to "Jake Karna". The last name refers to Karna
Karna
Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...
, a Hindu warrior who, in the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, is rejected by his mother.
Novels
- Sleepwalking (1994)
- The Touch (1996)
- Me and the Fat Man (1998)
- Laura Blundy (2000)
- Something Might Happen (2003)
- The Story of You (2006)
- Out of Breath (2007)
- Then (2011)
Non-fiction
- Home, The Story of Everyone Who Lived In Our House (2004)
- Not A Games Person (2005)
- Living with Teenagers – 3 kids, 2 parents, 1 Hell of a bumpy ride (2008)
- The Lost Child (2009)
Awards
- 1994 Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys PrizeJohn Llewellyn Rhys PrizeThe John Llewellyn Rhys Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom...
(shortlist) for Sleepwalking - 2005 International IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardInternational IMPAC Dublin Literary AwardThe International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is an international literary award for a work of fiction, jointly sponsored by the city of Dublin, Ireland and the company IMPAC. At €100,000 it is one of the richest literary prizes in the world...
(shortlist) for Something Might Happen - 2005 WH Smith Literary AwardWH Smith Literary AwardThe WH Smith Literary Award was an award founded in 1959 by British high street retailer W H Smith. Its founding aim was stated to be to "encourage and bring international esteem to authors of the British Commonwealth"; originally open to all residents of the UK, the Commonwealth and the Republic...
(shortlist) for Something Might Happen
External links
- Profile of