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Geraldine Bedell
Geraldine Bedell is a British novelist and writer for ''The Observer''. She drew wide public attention when she claimed she had been disinvited from a planned appearance at the first International Festival of Literature in Dubai, because her novel '' The Gulf Between Us'' featured a homosexual sheikh. Writer Margaret Atwood cancelled her scheduled appearance but later retracted when she found out that Bedell had never been invited to the Festival nor had her book been banned. Atwood subsequently made two virtual appearances at the Festival and appeared in person at the 2011 Festival. Family She is married to Charles Leadbeater and is the sister of Elaine Bedell, CEO of the Southbank Centre. Bedell's first marriage was to banker Jonathan Norton, with whom she has two children. After their divorce Norton married Mo Mowlam Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (Uni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly''. In December 2024, Tortoise Media acquired the paper from the Scott Trust Limited, with the transition taking place on 22 April 2025. History Origins The first issue was published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, making ''The Observer'' the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to the government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emirates Airline Festival Of Literature
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (The Festival) is an international literature festival held annually in the United Arab Emirates. The festival is held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, under the auspices of the Emirates Literature Foundation and is run by Ahlam Bolooki. The festival's offices are located within the Dubai International Writers' Centre. The festival is held each February at the Habtoor Palace, in Dubai, in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority. History In 2009, the Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature was launched with 65 international authors, including Chimamanda Adichie, Simon Armitage, Jung Chang, Imtiaz Dharker, Carol Ann Duffy, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Nujoom Al-Ghanem, Philippa Gregory, Victoria Hislop, Ibrahim Kuni, Frank McCourt (his final appearance before his death), Mark Tully, among others. The theme of the festival was "''There are places only books can take ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai. It is located on a Dubai Creek, creek on the south-eastern coast of the Persian Gulf, Persian Gulf. As of 2025, the city population stands at 4 million, 92% of whom are Expatriates in the United Arab Emirates, expatriates. The wider urban area includes Sharjah and has a population of 5 million people as of 2023,https://www.demographia.com/db-worldua.pdf while the Dubai–Sharjah–Ajman metropolitan area counts 6 million inhabitants. Founded in the early 18th century as a Cultured pearl, pearling and fishing settlement, Dubai became a regional trade hub in the 20th century after declaring itself a f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Gulf Between Us
''The Gulf Between Us'' is a 2009 novel by Geraldine Bedell. The novel is a romantic comedy set in a fictional Gulf emirate, with a word play on the region. The book drew wide public attention when the author falsely claimed she had been uninvited from a planned appearance at the first International Festival of Literature in Dubai in 2009 because ''The Gulf Between Us'' featured a homosexual sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me .... References {{DEFAULTSORT:Gulf Between Us 2009 British novels Censorship in Islam Islam-related controversies Penguin Books books ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight children's books, two graphic novels, and a number of small press editions of both poetry and fiction. Her best-known work is the 1985 dystopian novel ''The Handmaid's Tale.'' Atwood has won numerous awards and honors for her writing, including two Booker Prizes, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Governor General's Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, Princess of Asturias Awards, and the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, National Book Critics and PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Awards. A number of her works have been adapted for film and television. Atwood's works encompass a variety of themes including gender and identity, religion and myth, the power of language, climate change, and "power politics". Many of her poems are inspired by myth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Leadbeater
Charles Leadbeater, also known as Charlie Leadbeater, is a British author and former advisor to Tony Blair. Biography A graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, he first came to widespread notice in the 1980s as a regular contributor to the magazine ''Marxism Today''. Later he was Industrial Editor and Tokyo Bureau Chief at the ''Financial Times''. While working at ''The Independent'' in the 1990s, he devised ''Bridget Jones's Diary (novel), Bridget Jones's Diary'' (originally a column) with Helen Fielding. He worked on social entrepreneurship, publishing ''The Rise of the Social Entrepreneur'' in 1997. He advised the British government on matters of the Internet and the knowledge-driven economy. His book, ''We-think'', explores the new phenomenon of mass creativity exemplified by web sites such as YouTube, Wikipedia and MySpace. The book, which in a preliminary version is open to public criticism and revision, argues that participation and sharing, rather than consumption or prod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elaine Bedell
Elaine Anne Bedell (born September 1960) is an English television producer and executive, currently CEO of the Southbank Centre, London, a complex of artistic venues. Her former roles include Director of Comedy and Entertainment at ITV, and Executive Chair of the Edinburgh International Television Festival. Early life Bedell was raised in East London. Her sister is the novelist Geraldine Bedell. She attended a girls' grammar school in East London (formerly Essex), which became Valentines High School in 1977. She studied English at the University of Leeds, graduating in 1983. Career She began her career at the BBC in 1987, producing radio programmes such as '' Start the Week'', ''Midweek'', ''Newstand'' and ''You and Yours'' on BBC Radio 4. Independent media She left the BBC in 1992 and became Head of Factual Entertainment at Tiger Aspect Productions. In 1994, she became managing director of Watchmaker Productions, a company she founded with Clive James and Richard Drewett. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southbank Centre
Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell Room – as well as the Hayward Gallery and National Poetry Library. It the largest centre for the arts in the UK. The Southbank Centre drew around 3.7 million visitors in 2024 and stages approximately 5,000 performances each year. Three to four major art exhibitions are presented at the Hayward Gallery annually. Together with the Barbican Centre, a similar arts venue, the Southbank Centre is also known for its brutalist architecture. Location Southbank Centre's site is on the South Bank of the River Thames, between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge. It is fronted by The Queen's Walk and formerly extended to 21 acres (85,000 m2), from County Hall to Waterloo Bridge, however in 2012 management of Jubilee Gardens transferre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mo Mowlam
Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Redcar (UK Parliament constituency), Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the First Blair ministry, Cabinet of Tony Blair as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Mowlam's time as Northern Ireland Secretary saw the signing of the historic Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Her personal charisma and reputation for plain speaking led her to be perceived by many as one of the most popular "New Labour" politicians in the UK. When Tony Blair mentioned her in his speech at the Labour Party Conference, 1998 Labour Party Conference, she received a standing ovation. Early life Mowlam was born at 43 King Street, Watford, Hertfordshire, England, the middle of three children of Tina and Frank, but grew up in Coventry, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
21st-century English Novelists
File:1st century collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Jesus is crucified by Roman authorities in Judaea (17th century painting). Four different men ( Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian) claim the title of Emperor within the span of a year; The Great Fire of Rome (18th-century painting) sees the destruction of two-thirds of the city, precipitating the empire's first persecution against Christians, who are blamed for the disaster; The Roman Colosseum is built and holds its inaugural games; Roman forces besiege Jerusalem during the First Jewish–Roman War (19th-century painting); The Trưng sisters lead a rebellion against the Chinese Han dynasty (anachronistic depiction); Boudica, queen of the British Iceni leads a rebellion against Rome (19th-century statue); Knife-shaped coin of the Xin dynasty., 335px rect 30 30 737 1077 Crucifixion of Jesus rect 767 30 1815 1077 Year of the Four Emperors rect 1846 30 3223 1077 Great Fire of Rome rect 30 1108 1106 2155 Boudican ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
English Women Novelists
English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish term for non-Amish, regardless of ethnicity * English studies, the study of English language and literature Media * ''English'' (2013 film), a Malayalam-language film * ''English'' (novel), a Chinese book by Wang Gang ** ''English'' (2018 film), a Chinese adaptation * ''The English'' (TV series), a 2022 Western-genre miniseries * ''English'' (play), a 2022 play by Sanaz Toossi People and fictional characters * English (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * English Fisher (1928–2011), American boxing coach * English Gardner (born 1992), American track and field sprinter * English McConnell (1882–1928), Irish footballer * Aiden English, a ring name of Matthew Rehwoldt (born 1987), American former professional wrestle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
