Alex Alphonso Wheatle MBE (born 3 January 1963) is a British novelist, who was

sentenced Sentenced was a Finnish gothic metal band that played melodic death metal in their early years. The band formed in 1989 in the town of Muhos and broke up in 2005. History Early years (1988–1991) Sentenced started in 1988 as Deformity and ...

to a term of imprisonment after the

1981 Brixton riot The 1981 Brixton riot, or Brixton uprising, was a series of clashes between mainly black youths and the Metropolitan Police in Brixton, London, between 10 and 12 April 1981.J. A. Cloake & M. R. Tudor. ''Multicultural Britain''. Oxford Unive ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Biography

Born in 1963 in London to Jamaican parents, Wheatle spent much of his childhood in a Shirley Oaks Children's Home. At the age of 16, he was a founding member of the Crucial Rocker sound system; his DJ name was Yardman Irie. He wrote lyrics about everyday life in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th centu ...

, south London. By 1980, Wheatle was living in a

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or adminis ...

hostel in Brixton, and he participated in the

s and their aftermath. While serving his resulting sentence, he read authors such as

Chester Himes Chester Bomar Himes (July 29, 1909 – November 12, 1984) was an American writer. His works, some of which have been filmed, include '' If He Hollers Let Him Go'', published in 1945, and the Harlem Detective series of novels for which he is be ...

, Richard Wright,

C. L. R. James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),Fraser, C. Gerald, '' The New York Times'', 2 June 1989. who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. His works are ...

and John Steinbeck. Wheatle's cellmate, a

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control ...

, was the one who encouraged Wheatle to start reading books and care about his education. He features aspects of his life in his books, such as ''East of Acre Lane'' characters Yardman Irie and Jah Nelson. Wheatle has since spoken about the Brixton riots, most prominently in the 2006

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

programme ''Battle for Brixton''. His early books are based on his life in Brixton as a teenager and his time in social services' care. He received the

London Arts Board The regional arts boards (formerly regional arts associations) were English regional subdivisions of the Arts Council of Great Britain History As the Arts Council began to move away from organising art activities in the 1950s, regional offices ...

New Writers Award in 1999 for his debut novel ''Brixton Rock'', which was later adapted for the stage and performed at the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 20 ...

in July 2010. He wrote and performed ''Uprising'', a one-man play based on his own life at Tara Arts Studios,

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, London. In 2011, he took ''Uprising'' on tour and performed it at the Writing On The Wall Festival,

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, the

Oxford Playhouse Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxf ...

, the

Marlowe Theatre The Marlowe Theatre is a 1,200-seat theatre in Canterbury named after playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was born and attended school in the city. It was named a Stage Awards, 2022 UK Theatre of the Year. The Marlowe Trust, a not for prof ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, the

Ilkley Playhouse Ilkley Playhouse is a live theatre in Ilkley, Bradford, England. It is owned and run by Ilkley Players Ltd a not-for-profit charitable organisation. Ilkley Playhouse is run by an Executive Committee and is staffed almost entirely by volunteers ...

and the

Albany Theatre The Albany is a multi-purpose arts centre in Deptford, south-east London. Facilities include a flexible performance space holding up to 300 seated or 500 standing and a bar, two studio theatres, a performance cafe and rehearsal / meeting rooms. T ...

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

. The play re-toured theatres and literature festivals in 2012, marking the 50th year of Jamaican Independence. Wheatle lives in London. He is a member of

English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associati ...

, and he now visits various institutions facilitating creative writing classes and making speeches. He has also narrated an audio guide to the streets of Brixton.

Awards and honours

In the

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are pres ...

2008, Wheatle was awarded the MBE for services to literature. His young-adult novel ''Liccle Bit'' was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2016. His 2016 book ''Crongton Knights'' won the 50th

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...

. S. F. Said, one of the judging panel, said of the book: "Wheatle's writing is poetic, rhythmic and unique, remaking the English language with tremendous verve. Though Crongton is his invention, it resonates with many urban situations, not only in Britain but around the world. Crongton Knights is a major novel from a major voice in British children's literature." Wheatle's life story features in '' Alex Wheatle'', the fourth film in '' Small Axe'', a 2020 anthology of five films by

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

about the West Indian community in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s. ''Alex Wheatle'' depicts Wheatle's life up to and just after the Brixton uprising.

Bibliography

*''Brixton Rock'' (Black Amber, 1999) *''East of Acre Lane'' ( Fourth Estate, 2001) *''The Seven Sisters'' ( Fourth Estate, 2002) *''Checkers'' (with Mark Parham; X-Press, 2003) *''Island Songs'' (

Allison & Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in Ma ...

, 2005) *''The Dirty South'' (

Serpent's Tail Serpent's Tail is London-based independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It specialises in publishing work in translation, particularly European crime fiction. In January 2007, it was bought by a British publisher Profile Book ...

, 2008) *''Brenton Brown'' (Arcadia Books, 2011) *''Liccle Bit'' (Atom Books, 2015) *''Crongton Knights'' (Atom Books, 2016) *''Straight Outta Crongton'' (Atom Books, 2017) *''Uprising'' (Spck Books, 2017) *''Nicolas Cage '' (Barrington Stoke, 2018) *''Home Boys'' (Arcadia Books, 2018) *''Home Girl'' (Little Brown, Akashic, Hachette UK, 2019) *''Cane Warriors'' (Andersen Press, 2020) *''Cringel'' (Pringles, 2020) *''Kemosha of the Caribbean'' (Andersen Press, 2022) Wheatle's books have also been translated into French, Italian, Urdu, Welsh, German, and Japanese.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheatle, Alex 1963 births Living people 20th-century English criminals Black British writers Criminals from London Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists English people of Jamaican descent British dramatists and playwrights British male novelists British male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British male writers 21st-century British male writers British children's writers British writers of young adult literature Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winners