Nicholas Shakespeare
Encyclopedia
Nicholas William Richmond Shakespeare (born 3 March 1957 in Worcester
) is a British journalist and writer. Born to a diplomat, Shakespeare grew up in the Far East and in South America
. He was educated at the Dragon School
preparatory school then Winchester College
and Cambridge
and worked as a journalist for BBC
television and then on The Times
as assistant arts and literary editor. From 1988 to 1991 he was literary editor of The Daily Telegraph
and The Sunday Telegraph.
His time in South America
is represented in two novels, The Vision of Elena Silves (1989, Somerset Maugham Award
, Betty Trask Award
) and The Dancer Upstairs
(1995, American Library Association Award). Other less well known works from this period are The Men Who Would Be King (1984), Londoners (1986) and The High Flyer (1993). In 1999, Shakespeare published his biography of Bruce Chatwin
to widespread critical acclaim. This was followed by the novel Snowleg (2004, long-listed for the Booker Prize, Dublin IMPAC Award) a 'place' book, In Tasmania (2004) and Secrets of the Sea (2007).
Shakespeare has also produced several extended biographies for television on Evelyn Waugh
, Mario Vargas Llosa
, Bruce Chatwin
and on the actor Dirk Bogarde
(Arena 2001, BAFTA "Best Arts Documentary Award", RTS
"Best Documentary Award"). The Dancer Upstairs was made into a film in 2002 for which Shakespeare wrote the screenplay and which John Malkovich
directed. Shakespeare was nominated as one of Granta
's Best of British Young Novelists in 1993 and has written articles for Granta, the London Review of Books
and the Times Literary Supplement among others.
Shakespeare's novels place ordinary people against a background of significant events, as with The Dancer Upstairs, which deals with Abimael Guzmán
, leader of Peru
's Sendero Luminoso; and Snowleg, set partly during the Cold War
in the German Democratic Republic
.
In 1999, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
.
In 2009, he donated the short story "The Death of Marat" to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales
' project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Shakespeare's story was published in the Earth collection.
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
) is a British journalist and writer. Born to a diplomat, Shakespeare grew up in the Far East and in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. He was educated at the Dragon School
Dragon School
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils...
preparatory school then Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and worked as a journalist for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television and then on The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as assistant arts and literary editor. From 1988 to 1991 he was literary editor of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and The Sunday Telegraph.
His time in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
is represented in two novels, The Vision of Elena Silves (1989, 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...
, Betty Trask Award
Betty Trask Award
The Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35, who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. The awards were established in 1984 by the Society of Authors, at the bequest of the late Betty Trask, a reclusive author of over thirty romance novels...
) and The Dancer Upstairs
The Dancer Upstairs
The Dancer Upstairs is a 1995 novel by Nicholas Shakespeare. It is based on the Maoist insurgency of the 1980s in Peru, and tells the story of Agustin Rejas, a police Lieutenant , hunting a terrorist based on Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path. In 2002 it was given a film adaptation under...
(1995, American Library Association Award). Other less well known works from this period are The Men Who Would Be King (1984), Londoners (1986) and The High Flyer (1993). In 1999, Shakespeare published his biography of Bruce Chatwin
Bruce Chatwin
Charles Bruce Chatwin was an English novelist and travel writer. He won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel On the Black Hill...
to widespread critical acclaim. This was followed by the novel Snowleg (2004, long-listed for the Booker Prize, Dublin IMPAC Award) a 'place' book, In Tasmania (2004) and Secrets of the Sea (2007).
Shakespeare has also produced several extended biographies for television on Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
, Mario Vargas Llosa
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquis of Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian-Spanish writer, politician, journalist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate. Vargas Llosa is one of Latin America's most significant novelists and essayists, and one of the leading authors of his generation...
, Bruce Chatwin
Bruce Chatwin
Charles Bruce Chatwin was an English novelist and travel writer. He won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel On the Black Hill...
and on the actor Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
(Arena 2001, BAFTA "Best Arts Documentary Award", RTS
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
"Best Documentary Award"). The Dancer Upstairs was made into a film in 2002 for which Shakespeare wrote the screenplay and which John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
directed. Shakespeare was nominated as one of Granta
Granta
Granta is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centers on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make real." In 2007, The Observer stated, "In its blend of...
's Best of British Young Novelists in 1993 and has written articles for Granta, the London Review of Books
London Review of Books
The London Review of Books is a fortnightly British magazine of literary and intellectual essays.-History:The LRB was founded in 1979, during the year-long lock-out at The Times, by publisher A...
and the Times Literary Supplement among others.
Shakespeare's novels place ordinary people against a background of significant events, as with The Dancer Upstairs, which deals with Abimael Guzmán
Abimael Guzmán
Manuel Rubén Abimael Guzmán Reynoso , also known by the nom de guerre Presidente Gonzalo , a former professor of philosophy, was the leader of the Shining Path during the Maoist insurgency known as the internal conflict in Peru...
, leader of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
's Sendero Luminoso; and Snowleg, set partly during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
in the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
.
In 1999, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
.
In 2009, he donated the short story "The Death of Marat" to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales refers to four anthologies of short stories written by 38 of the UK's best known authors. All the authors donated their stories to Oxfam...
' project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Shakespeare's story was published in the Earth collection.
Works
- The Men Who Would Be King: A Look at Royalty in Exile (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1984)
- Londoners (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1986)
- The Vision of Elena Silves (Harvill, 1989)
- The High Flyer (Harvill, 1993)
- The Dancer UpstairsThe Dancer UpstairsThe Dancer Upstairs is a 1995 novel by Nicholas Shakespeare. It is based on the Maoist insurgency of the 1980s in Peru, and tells the story of Agustin Rejas, a police Lieutenant , hunting a terrorist based on Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path. In 2002 it was given a film adaptation under...
(Harvill, 1995) - Bruce Chatwin (Harvill, 1999)
- Snowleg (Harvill, 2004)
- In Tasmania (Harvill, 2004)
- Secrets of the Sea (Harvill, 2007)
- Inheritance (Harvill, 2010)
External links
- Contemporary Writers entry from the British CouncilBritish CouncilThe British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
- Bold Type Magazine information from Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
- Fantastic Fiction entry
- Nicholas Shakespeare at Random House Australia