Pauline Melville
Encyclopedia
Pauline Melville is a Guyanese
-born writer and actress. Her mother was English, and her father Guyanese. Her first book, Shape-Shifter (1990), a collection of short stories, won the 1991 Commonwealth Writers' Prize
(Overall Winner, Best First Book), and the Guardian Fiction Prize.
The book consists of a number of short stories dealing with post-colonial life in the Caribbean, particularly in her native Guyana, as well as of some stories set in London. Many of her characters, most of them displaced people from former colonies struggling to come to terms with a new life in Britain, attempt to find an identity, to reconcile their past and to escape from the restlessness hinted at in the title. Salman Rushdie said it was "notably sharp, funny, original...part Caribbean magic, part London grime, written in a slippery, chameleon language that is a frequent delight".
Her first novel, The Ventriloquist's Tale (1997), won the Whitbread First Novel Award, and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction
. In it she explores the nature of fiction and storytelling and writes about the impact of European colonisers on Guyanese Amerindians through the story of a brother and sister.
Her most recent collection of stories is The Migration of Ghosts (1998), a book of complex layered tales of physical and emotional displacement.
She appeared in films such as Mona Lisa
(playing the part of Dawn), as Dora in The Long Good Friday
, among others. She also appeared in television programmes: as Vyvyans's mother in the BBC
Television comedy series The Young Ones
; as Yvonne in Girls On Top
, among others.
She now lives in London
.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
-born writer and actress. Her mother was English, and her father Guyanese. Her first book, Shape-Shifter (1990), a collection of short stories, won the 1991 Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers is an initiative by the Commonwealth Foundation to unearth, develop and promote the best new fiction from across the Commonwealth. It's flagship are two literary awards and a website...
(Overall Winner, Best First Book), and the Guardian Fiction Prize.
The book consists of a number of short stories dealing with post-colonial life in the Caribbean, particularly in her native Guyana, as well as of some stories set in London. Many of her characters, most of them displaced people from former colonies struggling to come to terms with a new life in Britain, attempt to find an identity, to reconcile their past and to escape from the restlessness hinted at in the title. Salman Rushdie said it was "notably sharp, funny, original...part Caribbean magic, part London grime, written in a slippery, chameleon language that is a frequent delight".
Her first novel, The Ventriloquist's Tale (1997), won the Whitbread First Novel Award, and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction
Orange Prize for Fiction
The Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
. In it she explores the nature of fiction and storytelling and writes about the impact of European colonisers on Guyanese Amerindians through the story of a brother and sister.
Her most recent collection of stories is The Migration of Ghosts (1998), a book of complex layered tales of physical and emotional displacement.
She appeared in films such as Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa (film)
Mona Lisa is a 1986 British film about a petty criminal who becomes entangled in the dangerous life of a high-class call girl. The movie was written by Neil Jordan and David Leland, and directed by Jordan. It was produced by George Harrison's HandMade Films...
(playing the part of Dawn), as Dora in The Long Good Friday
The Long Good Friday
The Long Good Friday is a British gangster film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979 but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film...
, among others. She also appeared in television programmes: as Vyvyans's mother in the 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 comedy series The Young Ones
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
; as Yvonne in Girls On Top
Girls On Top
Girls On Top was a British television sitcom on ITV from 1985 to 1986. It was conceived by and starred French & Saunders - their first high-profile writing for television - and despite a low budget and poor critical reception received high ratings. It was made for the ITV network by Central.The...
, among others.
She now lives in 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...
.
Prizes and awards
- 1990 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Overall Winner, Best First Book) Shape-Shifter
- 1990 Guardian Fiction Prize Shape-Shifter
- 1991 PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award Shape-Shifter
- 1997 Whitbread First Novel Award The Ventriloquist's Tale
- 1998 Orange Prize for FictionOrange Prize for FictionThe Orange Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year...
(shortlist) The Ventriloquist's Tale
Films
- Ulysses (1967)
- Far from the Madding CrowdFar from the Madding Crowd (1967 film)Far from the Madding Crowd is a 1967 British drama film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted from the book of the same name by Thomas Hardy. It was Schlesinger's fourth film and marked a stylistic shift away from his earlier works which explored contemporary urban mores. The cinematography was by...
, (1967) as "Mrs. Tall" - The Long Good FridayThe Long Good FridayThe Long Good Friday is a British gangster film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979 but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film...
, (1980) as "Dora" - Boom Boom, Out Go the Lights, (1981) as herself
- Britannia HospitalBritannia HospitalBritannia Hospital is a 1982 black comedy film by British director Lindsay Anderson which targets the National Health Service and contemporary British society...
, (1982) as "Clarissa" - ScrubbersScrubbersScrubbers is a 1983 British drama film directed by Mai Zetterling and starring Amanda York and Chrissie Cotterill. It was shot primarily in Virginia Water, Surrey, England. It was inspired by the success of the 1979 film Scum.-Plot:...
, (1983) as "Crow" - White City, (1985) as "Woman in dole office"
- Mona LisaMona Lisa (film)Mona Lisa is a 1986 British film about a petty criminal who becomes entangled in the dangerous life of a high-class call girl. The movie was written by Neil Jordan and David Leland, and directed by Jordan. It was produced by George Harrison's HandMade Films...
, (1986) as "Dawn" - How to Get Ahead in AdvertisingHow to Get Ahead in AdvertisingHow to Get Ahead in Advertising is a 1989 British film written and directed by Bruce Robinson and starring Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward. The title is a pun and can be literally taken as "How to Get a Head in Advertising".-Plot:...
, (1989) as "Mrs. Wailace" - The House of Bernarda Alba, (1991)(TV) as "Prudencia"
- Utz, (1992) as "a Curator"
- ShadowlandsShadowlandsShadowlands is a 1985 television film, written by William Nicholson, directed by Norman Stone and produced by David M. Thompson for BBC Wales. Its subject is the relationship between Oxford don and author, C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham....
, (1993) as a "Committee Chairwoman"
Television
- The Young OnesThe Young Ones (TV series)The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
(1982), as "Vyyvan's mum" (in episodes "Sick" and "Boring") and "Woman on Bus" (in "Demolition") - Girls On TopGirls On TopGirls On Top was a British television sitcom on ITV from 1985 to 1986. It was conceived by and starred French & Saunders - their first high-profile writing for television - and despite a low budget and poor critical reception received high ratings. It was made for the ITV network by Central.The...
(1985) playing "Yvonne" (three episodes) - Happy FamiliesHappy Families (TV series)Happy Families was a rural comedy drama written by Ben Elton which appeared on the BBC in 1985 and told the story of the dysfunctional Fuddle family....
(1985) playing "Warder" - Blackadder's Christmas CarolBlackadder's Christmas CarolBlackadder's Christmas Carol is a one-off episode of Blackadder, a parody of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It is set between Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth , and is narrated by Hugh Laurie...
, (1988) as "Mrs. Scratchit" - The Comic Strip Presents, (1988) as "Pauline Sneak" in episode "Didn't You Kill My Brother?"
- StuffAlexei Sayle's StuffAlexei Sayle's Stuff is a comedy sketch show which ran on BBC2 for a total of 18 episodes over 3 series from 1988 to 1991.-Cast:Alexei Sayle's Stuff stars stand-up comedian Alexei Sayle, with a recurring cast including Angus Deayton, Mark Williams, Arabella Weir, Tony Millan, Jan Ravens, Owen...
(1988) - Red DwarfRed DwarfRed Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
(1989) as "Barmaid" (uncredited) - Alas Smith and JonesAlas Smith and JonesAlas Smith and Jones is a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1984 to 1998...
(1990) (two episodes) - 2 Point 4 Children (1992) playing "Babs"
- SpenderSpenderSpender is a BBC television drama set in Newcastle upon Tyne, written by Ian La Frenais and Jimmy Nail, who also starred. The series was produced by Martin McKeand . The series was broadcast on BBC between 1991 and 1993...
(1993) as "Judge"
External links
- Pauline Melville, internationales literaturfestival berlin
- "Return and Leave and Return Again", Anthurian, Jordan Stouck
- The literary talents of Pauline Melville, Stabroek News, November 30, 2010
- "One Minute With: Pauline Melville", The Independent, Boyd Tonkin, 4 September 2009