Sophie Cooke
Encyclopedia
Sophie Cooke is a Scottish
novelist, short story writer, poet, and travel writer
. Speaking in an interview with Aesthetica magazine in 2009, Cooke has said that her work is primarily concerned with questions of truth. She has developed the notion of truth as a depreciable asset. Cooke's work deals with the concealment of truth on various levels, from personal self-deceptions to governments misleading the public. She is the author of the novels The Glass House and Under The Mountain.
: this house later formed the setting for her second novel. She attended McLaren High School
in Callander
(Perthshire
) and then the University of Edinburgh
, where she gained a Masters degree in Social Anthropology
. In 2000, Cooke's short story
Why You Should Not Put Your Hand Through The Ice won runner-up prize in the MacAllan/Scotland on Sunday Short Story Competition. Cooke also contributed the short story At The Time to the anthology Damage Lands (2001), edited by Alan Bissett
. Cooke's first novel The Glass House (2004) was published by Random House
and shortlisted for the Saltire
First Book of The Year Award. In 2006 her short story Skin And Bones was broadcast on BBC Radio 4
, performed by the actress Laura Fraser
. Cooke's poetry of the same year addressed environmental issues. Her second novel Under the Mountain, published in 2008, showed a greater political emphasis than her previous work. This new novel combined her interest in personal fabrications with wider social memes such as terrorism, and specifically with the construction of potentially false narratives around terrifying events (see Aesthetica interview). The political emphasis in Cooke's work continued in 2009 with the performance of her first dramatic monologue, Protective Measures, at the Kikinda Short Story Festival in Serbia
.
Critics have drawn parallels between Cooke's work and that of Virginia Woolf
(Scottish Review of Books
, 2008) and of contemporary screenwriters such as Thomas Vinterberg
(Manchester Evening News
, 2004). In 2009 she was living in Berlin
. Cooke also writes travel articles for The Guardian
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
novelist, short story writer, poet, and travel writer
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
. Speaking in an interview with Aesthetica magazine in 2009, Cooke has said that her work is primarily concerned with questions of truth. She has developed the notion of truth as a depreciable asset. Cooke's work deals with the concealment of truth on various levels, from personal self-deceptions to governments misleading the public. She is the author of the novels The Glass House and Under The Mountain.
Background
Cooke was born in 1976 and spent her childhood in KilmahogKilmahog
Kilmahog is a hamlet situated half a mile to the west of Callander, Scotland.-Geography:Kilmahog lies on the Garbh Uisge, also known as the "River Leny", at the junction of the Trossachs and Lochearnhead roads...
: this house later formed the setting for her second novel. She attended McLaren High School
McLaren High School
McLaren High School is a state comprehensive, non-denominational secondary school in central Scotland. It was founded in 1892 by Donald McLaren and is situated in the town of Callander. The school has a catchment area of about and contains approximately 700 pupils...
in Callander
Callander
Callander is a burgh in the region of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the former county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands....
(Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
) and then the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, where she gained a Masters degree in Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
. In 2000, Cooke's short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
Why You Should Not Put Your Hand Through The Ice won runner-up prize in the MacAllan/Scotland on Sunday Short Story Competition. Cooke also contributed the short story At The Time to the anthology Damage Lands (2001), edited by Alan Bissett
Alan Bissett
Alan Bissett is an author and playwright from Hallglen, an area of Falkirk in Scotland. After the publication of his first two novels, Boyracers and The Incredible Adam Spark, he became known for his different take on Scots dialect writing, evolving a style specific to Falkirk, suffused with...
. Cooke's first novel The Glass House (2004) was published by Random House
Random House
Random 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,...
and shortlisted for the Saltire
Saltire Awards
The Saltire Society awards the following literary awards:* Scottish Book of the Year* Scottish First Book of the Year* Scottish History Book of the Year* Scottish Research Book of the Year...
First Book of The Year Award. In 2006 her short story Skin And Bones was broadcast on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, performed by the actress Laura Fraser
Laura Fraser
Laura Fraser is a Scottish actress.-Early life:Fraser is the daughter of Rose, a college lecturer and nurse, and Alister Fraser, a scriptwriter who also worked in business. She attended Hillhead High School and is a former member of the Scottish Youth Theatre...
. Cooke's poetry of the same year addressed environmental issues. Her second novel Under the Mountain, published in 2008, showed a greater political emphasis than her previous work. This new novel combined her interest in personal fabrications with wider social memes such as terrorism, and specifically with the construction of potentially false narratives around terrifying events (see Aesthetica interview). The political emphasis in Cooke's work continued in 2009 with the performance of her first dramatic monologue, Protective Measures, at the Kikinda Short Story Festival in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
Critics have drawn parallels between Cooke's work and that of Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
(Scottish Review of Books
Scottish Review of Books
The Scottish Review of Books is a quarterly literary magazine published in Scotland. . It was established in October 2004 with the support of the Scottish Arts Council. In 2009 it became a limited company with a board of directors, Scottish Review of Books Limited. It is now managed from the...
, 2008) and of contemporary screenwriters such as Thomas Vinterberg
Thomas Vinterberg
Thomas Vinterberg is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production....
(Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
, 2004). In 2009 she was living in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Cooke also writes travel articles for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
.
Short Stories
- Why You Should Not Put Your Hand Through The Ice (2000) runner-up prize in the MacAllan / Scotland on Sunday Short Story Competition; published in MacAllan Shorts by Polygon; broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland.
- The Incomprehensible Mortality of Karen Mack (2001) longlisted for the MacAllan / Scotland on Sunday Short Story Competition; published in MacAllan Shorts by Polygon.
- At The Time (2001) in Damage Land: New Scottish Gothic Fiction editor: Alan Bissett.
- Skin And Bones (2006) broadcast by BBC Radio 4.
- The Long Watch (2009) published in the Kikinda Shorts anthology (Belgrade).
- Havana (2009) published in Notes From The Underground magazine.
- After Falling (2009) published in GRASP literary magazine (Prague).
- United Solutions (2010) published in "The Year of Open Doors" anthology by Cargo editor: Rodge Glass
Dramatic Monologues
- Protective Measures (2009) performed at the Kikinda Short Story Festival in Serbia; published in the Kikinda Shorts anthology (Belgrade).
Poetry
- Antarctica (2006) published in Product magazine.
- 2058 (2010) published in Gutter magazine.
External links
- Sophie Cooke's work: interview in Aesthetica
- Sophie Cooke's childhood: interview in The Sunday Times
- Random House website
- Review of Under The Mountain in The Sunday Times
- Sophie Cooke and the Alchemy Readings in Prague
- Laura Fraser working on Skin And Bones
- Kikinda Short Story Festival: article by Rodge Glass
- online interview with Sophie Cooke for AuthorTrek
- Sophie Cooke's travel writing in The Guardian
- Gutter magazine