Mark Hudson (author)
Encyclopedia
Mark Hudson is a multiple-award-winning British writer, journalist and critic, whose books have been described as exploring the boundaries between fiction
and travel writing
.
. Our Grandmothers' Drums, based on a year spent living in a village in the Gambia
, described the author’s personal and emotional involvement in village life with a frankness unusual in either travel writing or anthropology. ‘I have rarely read a book of greater passion or honesty,’ wrote the Sunday Times. While the book’s candidness attracted some criticism, particularly in the U.S., it won two literary awards, Thomas Cook Travel Book Award
(1990) and Somerset Maugham Award
(1990). The Music in my Head, a scabrous satire on the world music
phenomenon, set in a fictional West African city, offended many in the world music milieu, but delighted others.
Coming Back Brockens, based on a year spent in a former mining village in the north of England – where the author’s grandfather and great-grandfather were both miners – was acclaimed in The Independent
as "a pained description of an England that has all but exhausted itself". Hudson’s most recent book, Titian, the Last Days, is a personal study of the great Venetian painter Titian
, focusing on his mysterious last paintings.
Hudson is a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and has also written for The Observer
, the Mail on Sunday, the Financial Times
, the Sunday Times and the Guardian
.
Discography
Reviews
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and 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....
.
Biography
Hudson’s books are diverse in subject matter, but united by their approach which incorporates elements of history, travel writing, cultural criticism and personal participation. As a journalist Hudson has written extensively about African music and culture, and two of his books are set in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Our Grandmothers' Drums, based on a year spent living in a village in the Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
, described the author’s personal and emotional involvement in village life with a frankness unusual in either travel writing or anthropology. ‘I have rarely read a book of greater passion or honesty,’ wrote the Sunday Times. While the book’s candidness attracted some criticism, particularly in the U.S., it won two literary awards, Thomas Cook Travel Book Award
Thomas Cook Travel Book Award
The Thomas Cook Travel Book Award originated as an initiative of Thomas Cook AG in 1980, with the aim of encouraging and rewarding the art of literary travel writing. The awards stopped in 2005...
(1990) and Somerset Maugham Award
Somerset Maugham Award
The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each May by the Society of Authors. It is awarded to whom they judge to be the best writer or writers under the age of thirty-five of a book published in the past year. The prize was instituted in 1947 by William Somerset Maugham and thus...
(1990). The Music in my Head, a scabrous satire on the world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
phenomenon, set in a fictional West African city, offended many in the world music milieu, but delighted others.
Coming Back Brockens, based on a year spent in a former mining village in the north of England – where the author’s grandfather and great-grandfather were both miners – was acclaimed in 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...
as "a pained description of an England that has all but exhausted itself". Hudson’s most recent book, Titian, the Last Days, is a personal study of the great Venetian painter Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, focusing on his mysterious last paintings.
Hudson is a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and has also written for 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,...
, the Mail on Sunday, 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....
, the Sunday Times and the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
.
Awards
- NCR Book AwardNCR Book AwardThe NCR Book Award, established in 1987 and sponsored by NCR, was the UK's major award to non-fiction It ended in 1998 and has been replaced by the Samuel Johnson Prize.-Winners:* 1988 David Thomson, Nairn in Darkness and Light...
(now the Samuel Johnson PrizeSamuel Johnson PrizeThe Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is one of the most prestigious prizes for non-fiction writing. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award and based on an anonymous donation. The prize is named after Samuel Johnson...
) for Coming Back Brockens. - Thomas Cook Travel Book AwardThomas Cook Travel Book AwardThe Thomas Cook Travel Book Award originated as an initiative of Thomas Cook AG in 1980, with the aim of encouraging and rewarding the art of literary travel writing. The awards stopped in 2005...
for Our Grandmothers' Drums. - Somerset Maugham AwardSomerset Maugham AwardThe Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each May by the Society of Authors. It is awarded to whom they judge to be the best writer or writers under the age of thirty-five of a book published in the past year. The prize was instituted in 1947 by William Somerset Maugham and thus...
for Our Grandmothers' Drums.
Works
Books- Our Grandmothers’ Drums (1989)
- Coming Back Brockens (1994)
- The Music in my Head (1998)
- Titian, the Last Days (2009)
Discography
- The Music in my Head (Sterns)
- The Music in my Head Vol 2 (Sterns 2002)
- Etoile de DakarÉtoile de DakarÉtoile de Dakar were a leading music group of Senegal in the 1970s.The group was formed in 1979 by Youssou N'Dour and members of the Star Band one of Dakar's best known nightclub house bands of the 1970s...
‘Once Upon A Time In Senegal’ (Sterns) (Notes)
Reviews
- Telegraph: Titian: the Last Days review by Serena Davis
- The Sunday TimesThe Sunday TimesThe 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...
: Titian: the Last Days review by Keith Miller - The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
: Titian: the Last Days review by PD Smith - The TabletThe TabletThe Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
: Titian: the Last Days review by Lynn Roberts
External links
- The ObserverThe ObserverThe 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,...
:A Profile of Youssou N’Dour - The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
: The Fela Kuti Legacy - The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
: How I Took On The New York Dolls - The ObserverThe ObserverThe 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,...
: Mali: the Hunters’ Festival - The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
: It Couldn’t Get Worse For Damien Hirst