Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Encyclopedia
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a novel by Jeanette Winterson
published in 1985, which she subsequently adapted into a BBC television drama
. It is a bildungsroman
about a lesbian girl who grows up in an English Pentecostal community.
, Lancashire
, after moving from her birth town Manchester
. The book was written many years after any actual events as Winterson moved to her present location London
.
Literature students.
, which won the Prix Italia
in 1991.
The book was released on cassette by BBC Audiobooks in 1990, also read by Coleman.
Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson OBE is a British novelist.-Early years:Winterson was born in Manchester and adopted on 21 January 1960. She was raised in Accrington, Lancashire, by Constance and John William Winterson...
published in 1985, which she subsequently adapted into a BBC television drama
BBC television drama
BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom...
. It is a bildungsroman
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, bildungsroman or coming-of-age story is a literary genre which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood , and in which character change is thus extremely important...
about a lesbian girl who grows up in an English Pentecostal community.
Background
The book and subsequent BBC mini series, adapted by Winterson, is believed to be semi-autobiographical and is generally based on Winterson's life in AccringtonAccrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, after moving from her birth town Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The book was written many years after any actual events as Winterson moved to her present location London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Criticism
- The novel won Winterson the Whitbread Award for a First NovelCosta Book AwardsThe 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....
in 1985. - Jeanette Winterson does not consider this novel to be a lesbian novel, arguing, 'I've never understood why straight fiction is supposed to be for everyone, but anything with a gay character or that includes gay experience is only for queers.'
- Although the protagonist bears the author's first name, John MullanJohn MullanJohn Mullan is a Professor of English at University College London. He specialises in 18th century fiction. He is currently working on the 18th-century section of the new Oxford English Literary History....
has argued that it is neither an autobiography nor a memoir, but a KünstlerromanKünstlerromanA Künstlerroman , meaning "artist's novel" in German, is a narrative about an artist's growth to maturity. It may be classified as a specific sub-genre of Bildungsroman; such a work, usually a novel, tends to depict the conflicts of a sensitive youth against the values of a bourgeois society of his...
. - The book is now popular in schools, most often as part of an A-level literature course. There is a volume in the York Notes Advanced series by Kathryn Simpson, aimed at
Literature students.
- Both John Bayley and Muriel SparkMuriel SparkDame Muriel Spark, DBE was an award-winning Scottish novelist. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Early life:...
have praised the novel.
Adaptations
A television adaptation of the book was made and aired by the BBC in 1990, starring Charlotte ColemanCharlotte Coleman
Charlotte Ninon Coleman was an English actress best known for playing Scarlett in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral , Jess in the television drama Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, and her childhood roles of Sue in Worzel Gummidge and the character Marmalade Atkins...
, which won the Prix Italia
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...
in 1991.
The book was released on cassette by BBC Audiobooks in 1990, also read by Coleman.