J.R. Ackerley Prize
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J.R. Ackerley Prize
The TLS Ackerley Prize is awarded annually to a literary autobiography of excellence, written by an author of British nationality and published during the preceding year. The winner receives £4,000. The prize was established by Nancy West, née Ackerley, sister of English author and editor J. R. Ackerley. It was first awarded in 1982. The prize is judged by the trustees of the J. R. Ackerley Trust; biographer and historian Peter Parker (Chair), the biographer and critic Claire Harman, and the writer and editor Michael Caines. There is no formal submission process for the award — judges simply "call in" books to be added to their longlist. Former judges include the novelist Francis King, the biographer Michael Holroyd, the editor of Ackerley’s letters, Neville Braybrooke, food writer and historian Colin Spencer, the biographer and historian Richard Davenport-Hines and the novelist and short story writer Georgina Hammick. In 2023, the Prize’s long partnership with Engl ...
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Autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share their unique perspectives and stories, offering readers a glimpse into the author's personal journey and the historical or cultural context in which they lived. The term "autobiography" was first used in 1797, but the practice of writing about one's life dates back to antiquity. Early examples include Saint Augustine's '' Confessions'' (), which is considered one of the first Western autobiographies. Unlike biographies, which are written by someone else, autobiographies are based on the author's memory and personal interpretation of events, making them inherently subjective. This subjectivity can sometimes lead to inaccuracies or embellishments, as the author may recall events differently or choose to present them in a certain light. Autobi ...
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Anthony Burgess
John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, dystopian satire ''A Clockwork Orange (novel), A Clockwork Orange'' remains his best-known novel. In 1971, it was A Clockwork Orange (film), adapted into a controversial film by Stanley Kubrick, which Burgess said was chiefly responsible for the popularity of the book. Burgess produced a number of other novels, including the Inside Mr Enderby, Enderby quartet, and ''Earthly Powers''. He wrote librettos and screenplays, including the 1977 television mini-series ''Jesus of Nazareth (miniseries), Jesus of Nazareth''. He worked as a literary critic for several publications, including ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian'', and wrote studies of classic writers, notably James Joyce. A versatile linguist, Burgess lectured in phonetics, and translated ...
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Margaret Forster
Margaret Forster (25 May 1938 – 8 February 2016) was an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian and critic, best known for the 1965 novel ''Georgy Girl'', made into a successful film of the same name, which inspired a hit song by The Seekers. Other successes were a 2003 novel, '' Diary of an Ordinary Woman'', biographies of Daphne du Maurier and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and her memoirs ''Hidden Lives'' and ''Precious Lives''. Early life and education Forster was born in the Raffles council estate in Carlisle, England. Her father, Arthur Forster, was a mechanic or factory fitter, her mother, Lilian (née Hind), a housewife who had worked as a clerk or secretary before her marriage. Forster attended Carlisle and County High School for Girls (1949–1956), a grammar school. She went on to win an open scholarship to study history at Somerville College, Oxford, graduating in 1960. Her first job was two years (1961–1963) of teaching English at Barnsbury Girls' Sc ...
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Katrin Fitzherbert
Katrin is a feminine given name. It is a German and Swedish contracted form of Katherine. Katrin may refer to: Sports *Katrin Apel (born 1973), German biathlete * Katrin Beinroth (born 1981), German judoka * Katrin Borchert (born 1969), German-born Australian sprint canoer *Katrín Davíðsdóttir (born 1993), Icelandic CrossFit athlete * Katrin Dörre-Heinig (born 1961), German long-distance runner *Katrin Engel (born 1984), Austrian handball player *Katrin Green (born 1985), German Paralympian track and field athlete *Katrin Käärt (born 1983), Estonian athletics sprinter *Katrin Kauschke (born 1971), German field hockey player * Katrin Kieseler, German-born, Australian sprint canoer * Katrin Kliehm (born 1981), German football player *Katrin Krabbe (born 1969), German athlete *Katrin Krüger (born 1959), German handball player *Katrin Loo (born 1991), Estonian footballer * Katrin Mattscherodt (born 1981), German long track speed skater *Katrin Meissner (born 1973), German ...
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Tim Lott
Tim Lott (born 23 January 1956) is a British author. He worked as a music journalist and ran a magazine publishing business, launching ''Flexipop'' magazine in 1980 with ex-''Record Mirror'' journalist Barry Cain. Early life and education In 1956, Lott was born in Southall, West London. He graduated with a degree in history and politics from the London School of Economics in 1986, at the age of 30. Career In the late 1980s, Lott briefly worked as the editor of ''City Limits'', a magazine based in London. Lott was a TV producer and a Sunday magazine featured writer. In 1996, Lott's first book, a memoir, ''The Scent of Dried Roses'', was published and won the PEN/Ackerley Prize for autobiography. It is now published as a Penguin Modern Classic. His next work, and first novel, ''White City Blue'', was published in 1999 and won that year's Whitbread Award for Best First Novel. He was shortlisted in the Best Novel category of the 2002 Whitbread Awards and the Encore Awards f ...
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Eric Lomax
Eric Sutherland Lomax (30 May 1919 – 8 October 2012) was a British Army officer who was sent to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in 1942. He is most notable for his book, '' The Railway Man'', about his experiences before, during, and after World War II, which won the 1996 NCR Book Award and the PEN/Ackerley Prize. Early life Lomax was born in Edinburgh on 30 May 1919. He left the Royal High School, Edinburgh, aged 16, after entering a civil service competition and obtaining employment at the Post Office. On 8 April 1936, he became a sorting clerk and telegraphist in Edinburgh. On 10 March 1937, he was promoted to the clerical class. Military service In 1939, aged 20, Lomax joined the Royal Corps of Signals before World War II broke out. Following time in the 152nd Officer Cadet Training Unit, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 28 December 1940. He was given the service number 165340. He was a Royal Signals officer attached to the 5th Field Regiment, Royal Artill ...
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Paul Vaughan
Paul William Vaughan (24 October 1925 – 14 November 2014) was a British journalist, radio presenter (of art and science programmes) throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and a narrator of many BBC Television science documentaries, among them Horizon (BBC TV series), ''Horizon''. He was also a semi-professional jazz and classical musician. Early life He was born in Brixton, South London, but after ten years moved to New Malden in Surrey. His father worked at the Linoleum (& Floorcloth) Manufacturers' Association (LMA), which became the British Floorcovering Manufacturers' Association. He was the younger brother of dance archivist and historian David Vaughan (dance archivist), David Vaughan. He attended Raynes Park County School (a boys' grammar school, which became Raynes Park High School in 1969), which he attended with other well-known voices on BBC Radio 4, Radio 4, who also followed him to University of Oxford, Oxford. He studied French and English at Wadham College, Oxfor ...
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Blake Morrison
Philip Blake Morrison (born 8 October 1950) is an English poet and author who has published in a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres. His greatest success came with the publication of his memoirs ''And When Did You Last See Your Father?'' (1993), which won the J. R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography. He has also written a study of the murder of James Bulger, ''As If''. Since 2003, Morrison has been Professor of Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Life and career Morrison was born in Skipton, North Yorkshire, to an English father and an Irish mother. His parents were both physicians; his mother's maiden name was Agnes O'Shea, but her husband persuaded her to change "Agnes" to "Kim". The details of his mother's life in Ireland, to which Morrison had not been privy, formed the basis for his memoir, ''Things My Mother Never Told Me'' (2002). Morrison lived in Thornton-in-Craven and attend ...
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Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries (17 February 1934 – 22 April 2023) was an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He was best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He appeared in numerous stage productions, films and television shows. Humphries's characters brought him international renown. Originally conceived as a dowdy Moonee Ponds, Victoria, Moonee Ponds housewife who caricatured Australian suburban complacency and insularity, the Dame Edna Everage character developed into a satire of stardom: a gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal, internationally fêted "housewife gigastar". His other satirical characters included the "priapic and inebriated cultural attaché" Sir Les Patterson, who "continued to bring worldwide discredit upon Australian arts and culture, while contributing as much to the Australian vernacular as he has borrowed from it"; gentle, grandfatherly "returned gentleman" Sandy Stone (cha ...
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John Osborne
John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-war theatre. Born in London, he briefly worked as a journalist. before starting out in theatre as a stage manager and actor.. He lived in poverty for several years before his third produced play, '' Look Back in Anger'' (1956), brought him national fame. Based on Osborne's volatile relationship with his first wife, Pamela Lane, it is considered the first work of kitchen sink realism, initiating a movement which made use of social realism and domestic settings to address disillusion with British society in the waning years of the Empire.Heilpern, pp. 93–102 The phrase “ angry young man”, coined by George Fearon to describe Osborne when promoting the play, came to embody the predominantly working class and left-wing writers within this movement. Osborne was considered its leading figure ...
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Paul Binding
Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo Paul & Paula * Paul Stookey, one-third of the folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary * Billy Paul, stage name of American soul singer Paul Williams (1934–2016) * Vinnie Paul, drummer for American Metal band Pantera * Paul Avril, pseudonym of Édouard-Henri Avril (1849–1928), French painter and commercial artist * Paul, pen name under which Walter Scott wrote ''Paul's letters to his Kinsfolk'' in 1816 * Jean Paul, pen name of Johann Paul Friedrich Richter (1763–1825), German Romantic writer Places * Paul, Cornwall, a village in the civil parish of Penzance, United Kingdom *Paul (civil parish), Cornwall, United Kingdom * Paul, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Paul, Idaho, United States, a city *Paul, Nebraska, United ...
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Germaine Greer
Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and feminist, regarded as one of the major voices of the second-wave feminism movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Specializing in English and women's literature, she has held academic positions in England at the University of Warwick and Newnham College, Cambridge, and in the United States at the University of Tulsa. Based in the United Kingdom since 1964, she has divided her time since the 1990s between Queensland, Australia, and her home in Essex, England. Greer's ideas have created controversy ever since her first book, ''The Female Eunuch'' (1970), made her a household name. An international bestseller and a watershed text in the feminist movement, it offered a systematic deconstruction of ideas such as womanhood and femininity, arguing that women were forced to assume submissive roles in society to fulfil male fantasies of what being a woman entailed. Greer's subsequent work has focused on liter ...
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