Bali Rai (born 30 November 1971) is an English author of

children's A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...

and

young adult fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

Early life

Rai was born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

in 1971, to Punjabi parents. At the age of eleven, he read '' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole'' by

Sue Townsend Susan Lillian Townsend (; 2 April 194610 April 2014) was an English writer and humorist whose work encompasses novels, plays and works of journalism. She was best known for creating the character Adrian Mole. After writing in secret from the a ...

, which inspired him to take up writing. He has also cited

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...

as an early influence on his writing. He attended Judgemeadow Community College, moving to

Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College () is a sixth form college, located in Leicester, England. The college is led by Paul Wilson who was appointed the eighth principal in March 2018. The college merged with the nearby Regent College in 2018 ...

for

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

. In 1991, Rai moved to London to study at South Bank University, graduating with a 2:1 in politics. He stayed in London for two years after graduating, but was forced to return to Leicester due to personal circumstances. He had a number of jobs, including working for a supermarket, in telesales, and managing a bar. He began to write his first novel, '' (Un)arranged Marriage'', during this period.

Writing career

Bali Rai showed parts of his debut novel, '' (Un)arranged Marriage'', to literary agent Jennifer Luithlen, who agreed to represent him. Once the novel had been edited, Rai signed a contract with Transworld. The novel was published in 2001 to critical acclaim. ''Rani & Sukh'', which Rai described as a "true mash-up of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

and Punjabi folk tales", was published in 2004 and later became a

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

set-text. He has also written several books for dyslexia-friendly publisher Barrington Stoke, such as ''Dream On'' and its sequel ''Game On''. His work has been published in various anthologies, including the 2017 book ''Here I Stand'', raising money and awareness for the human rights charity

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

. Rai has made appearances on television and radio to discuss racism, his writing, and promoting reading for pleasure. He has also been an ambassador for The Reading Agency's Reading Ahead programme, and was BookTrust's sixth online writer-in-residence. In 2019 he became an Ambassador for audiobook charity Listening Books. In 2014, Rai received an honorary doctorate from

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...

in Leicester.

Awards

Works

* '' (Un)arranged Marriage'' (2001) * ''The Crew'' (2003) * ''What's Your Problem?'' (2003) * ''Rani and Sukh'' (2004) * ''The Whisper'' (2005) * ''Dominoes and Other Stories'' (2005) * ''The Last Taboo'' (2006) * ''The Angel Collector'' (2007) * ''City of Ghosts'' (2009) * ''Killing Honour'' (2011) * ''The Guru and The King'' (2012) * ''Fire City'' (2012) * ''Demon Hunter'' (2012) * ''The Night Run'' (2014) * ''Kiss of Death'' (2014) * ''Web of Darkness'' (2014) * ''Tales from India'' (2017) * ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'': ''Rebellion on Treasure Island'' (2023)

''Soccer Squad'' series

* ''Starting Eleven'' (2008) * ''Missing!'' (2008) * ''Stars!'' (2008) * ''Glory!'' (2008)

''Tales from Devana High'' series

* ''Concrete Chips'' (2004) * ''Sold as Seen'' (2005) * ''Jugglin' '' (2006) * ''Trouble'' (2013) * ''Secrets'' (2013)

Barrington Stoke

* ''Dream On'' (2002) * ''Two Timer'' (2005) * ''Revenge of the Number Two'' (2007) * ''Are You Kidding?'' (2008) * ''Them and Us'' (2009) * ''The Gun'' (2011) * ''Shivers'' (2013) * ''Old Dog, New Tricks'' (2014) * ''Game On'' (2015), sequel to ''Dream On'' * ''The Harder They Fall'' (2017)

Non-fiction

* ''Politics: Cutting Through the Crap'' (2006)

Contributor

Bali Rai has contributed short stories to a number of anthologies, including: * ''Thirteen'' (2005) * ''Losing It'', edited by Keith Gray (2010) * ''How to be a Boy'', edited by Tony Bradman (2011) * ''The Library Book'' (2012) * ''Love Hurts'', edited by Malorie Blackman (2015) * ''Here I Stand'', by

(2017)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Bali Living people 1971 births Alumni of London South Bank University British Asian writers British writers of young adult literature English children's writers English people of Punjabi descent Writers from Leicester