Diana Omo Evans

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

(born 1972) is a British novelist, journalist and critic who was born and lives in London. Evans has written four full-length novels. Her first novel, ''26a'', published in 2005, won the

Orange Award for New Writers The Orange Award for New Writers was a prize given by telecommunications company Orange UK between 2006 and 2010. It was launched to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Women's Prize for Fiction, Orange Prize for Fiction. The award was support ...

, the

Betty Trask Award The Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. Each year the awards total at least , with normally one author receiving a larger prize amount ( ...

and the deciBel Writer of the Year award. Her third novel ''Ordinary People'' was shortlisted for the 2019

Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...

and won the 2019

South Bank Sky Arts Award The Sky Arts Awards (formerly The South Bank Show Awards and The South Bank Sky Arts Awards) are an accolade recognising British and Irish achievements in the arts. The awards have been given annually since 1997. They originated with the long- ...

for Literature. ''A House for Alice'' was published in 2023. As well as writing fiction, Evans contributes essays and literary criticism to the national press. She was honoured as a

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

in 2020.

Background and education

Evans is the daughter of a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

mother and an English father. She was born and grew up in

Neasden Neasden is a suburban area in northwest London, England. It is located around the centre of the London Borough of Brent and is within the NW2 (Cricklewood) and NW10 (Willesden) postal districts. Neasden is near Wembley Stadium, the Brent Reserv ...

, north-west

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, with her parents and five sisters, one of whom was her twin. She also spent part of her childhood in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, Nigeria. She completed a

media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but it mos ...

degree at the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

. While in Brighton, she was a dancer in the African dance troupe Mashango. She completed an MA in

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

. At the age of 25 she became a journalist. She contributed human-interest features and art criticism to a range of magazines, journals and newspapers in the UK; published interviews with celebrities; worked as an editor for ''

Pride Magazine ''Pride Magazine'' (styled in covers as ''PRIDE'') is a magazine that focuses on black women in the United Kingdom. It has been on publication since 1991. The magazine has a circulation of more than 30,000 copies per month. In 2012, the magazine ...

'' and the literary journal ''Calabash''.

Writing

Her first novel, ''26a'', "a

Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a bildungsroman () is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth and change of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age). The term comes from the German words ('formation' or 'edu ...

that centres its storyline on the growing process of a pair of identical twins of Nigerian-British origin, Georgia and Bessi" growing up in Neasden, was published in 2005 to wide critical acclaim and has since been translated into 12 languages. It was shortlisted in the first novel category for both the Whitbread Book Award and the

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation has presented a number of prizes since 1987. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best First ...

, and was the inaugural winner of the

. Literary critic

Maya Jaggi Maya Jaggi is a British writer, literary critic, editor and cultural journalist.Maya Jaggi profi ...

said in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' of ''26a'': "The writing is both mature and freshly perceptive, creating not only a warmly funny novel of a Neasden childhood ... but a haunting account of the loss of innocence and mental disintegration."

Carol Birch Carol Birch (born 1951) is an English novelist, lecturer and book critic. She also teaches creative writing. Life Birch was born in Manchester, England. Her parents had met in a wartime armaments factory. Her father, a metallurgist, also played ...

, writing in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', said of ''26a'' that "Evans writes with tremendous verve and dash. Her ear for dialogue is superb, and she has wit and sharp perception" and though she has her criticisms, concludes that Evans "has produced a consistently readable book filled with likeable characters: a study of loss that has great heart and humour." According to Diriye Osman in the ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

'': "Here was a Bildungsroman of such daring and sustained elegance that it felt like a gorgeous dance of a novel. In many ways, it is apropos that this book which focused on the secret bond that exists between twins was followed in 2009 by the equally masterful ''The Wonder'', a novel rooted in the world of dance." Evans' second novel, ''The Wonder'' (2009), explores the world of dancing in the context of Caribbean immigration to the UK, London gentrification, and the bond between father and son. Maggie Gee, writing in ''The Independent'', called it "a serious work of art, with sentences like ribbons of silk winding around a skeleton of haunting imagery. ... ''The Wonder'' most central achievement is to explore what art means in human life. ... This second novel, both powerful and delicate, lacking in linear plot but rich in the poetry of human observation, proves that Evans has what she calls 'the watch-me, the grace note' that marks a true artist." Her third novel, ''

Ordinary People ''Ordinary People'' is a 1980 American Tragedy, tragedy film directed by Robert Redford in his List of directorial debuts, feature directorial debut. The screenplay by Alvin Sargent is based on the Ordinary People (Guest novel), 1976 novel by ...

'' (2018), is a portrait of family life for two black couples in their 30s in South London in a year bookended by the election of Barack Obama and the

death of Michael Jackson On June 25, 2009, the American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 50. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said that he found Jackson in his bedroom at his North Carolwood Dr ...

. ''Ordinary People'' was the winner of the

and shortlisted for the

, the

Orwell Prize The Orwell Prize is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity (Registered Charity No 1161563, formerly "The Orwell Prize") governed by a board of trustees. Four prizes are award ...

for Political Fiction and the

Rathbones Folio Prize The Writers' Prize, previously known as the Rathbones Folio Prize, the Folio Prize and The Literature Prize, is a literary award that was sponsored by the London-based publisher Folio Society, The Folio Society for its first two years, 2014–2 ...

. Her fourth novel, ''A House for Alice'', was published in 2023, characterised as "the first memorialisation of Grenfell in fiction", it received Evans's second shortlisting for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. ''Harper's Bazaar'' described the novel as 'a state-of-the-nation masterpiece'. Also a journalist, Evans has contributed essays and literary criticism to ''

Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on women aro ...

'', ''

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'' ...

'', ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...

'' and ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

''. She is an associate lecturer of Creative Writing at

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

. She is a patron of the

SI Leeds Literary Prize The SI Leeds Literary Prize is a biennial award founded in 2012 by Soroptimist International of Leeds (SI Leeds) – a branch of the worldwide women's organization Soroptimist International – for unpublished fiction written by Black and Asian w ...

for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women in the UK. She is also a 2014–16

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...

Fellow at the

London College of Fashion The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate study, short courses, study-abroad courses and business t ...

and a 2016–17 Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the

University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...

."Diana Evans: Novelist, Short-story writer, Non-fiction writer"
Royal Literary Fund.

Publications

Novels

* * * * ''A House for Alice''. London: Chatto & Windus, 2023. .

Short stories

* "Journey Home", in * "The Beginning", in * "Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke, 1963)", in * "Thunder", in * "The Repeating House", ''Deep Night, Dark Night'',

Shakespeare's Globe Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse first built in 1599 for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. Like the original, it is located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Southwark, Lon ...

, 2019 * "Singular", Short Works,

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, 2019

Non-fiction

Awards

* 2005:

, for ''26a,'' Winner * 2005:

Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. Membership of the society is open to "anyon ...

, for ''26a'' * 2005:

Guardian First Book Award The Guardian First Book Award was a literary award presented by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. It annually recognised one book by a new writer. It was established in 1999, replacing the Guardian Fiction Award or Guardian Fiction Prize that the newspa ...

, for ''26a,'' Longlist * 2005: First Novel category,

Whitbread Book Awards The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

, for ''26a,'' Shortlist * 2006:

, Best First Book category, for ''26a,'' Shortlist * 2006: deciBel Writer of the Year award, British Book Awards, for ''26a'', Winner *2006: Times/South Bank Show Breakthrough Award, for ''26a'', Shortlist *2007: Arts Foundation Fellowship, for ''26a,'' Shortlist *2007:

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

, for ''26a,'' Longlist *2013: Arts Council England Grant for the Arts Award *2017: Arts Council England Grant for the Arts Award *2018:

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction __NOTOC__ The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year. They are named in honor of ni ...

, for ''Ordinary People,'' Longlist *2019: Precious Lifestyle Award, for ''Ordinary People,'' Shortlist *2019:

, for ''Ordinary People,'' Winner *2019:

, for ''Ordinary People,'' Shortlist *2019:

for Political Fiction, for ''Ordinary People,'' Shortlist *2019: Glass Bell Award, for ''Ordinary People,'' Longlist *2019:

Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French List of literary awards, literary prize awarded each year by an exclusively female jury. The prize, which was established in 1904, is awarded to French-language works written in prose or Verse (poetry), verse by male ...

, for ''Ordinary People,'' Shortlist *2019:

Grand prix des lectrices de Elle The Grand prix des lectrices de Elle is a French literary prize awarded by readers of ''Elle'' magazine. History Unlike other literary prizes that have professionals for their juries and selection committees, the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle i ...

, for ''Ordinary People,'' Shortlist *2020: Elected a fellow of the

*2023:

for Political Fiction, for ''A House for Alice,'' Shortlist

References

External links

* * Lisa Allardice
"Diana Evans: 'There's a ruthlessness in me towards writing'"
(interview), ''The Guardian'', 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Diana 1972 births Living people 21st-century British novelists 21st-century British women writers Alumni of the University of East Anglia Alumni of the University of Sussex Black British women writers Black British writers British Book Award winners British twins British women essayists British women journalists British women novelists Date of birth missing (living people) English people of Nigerian descent Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People from Neasden Writers from the London Borough of Brent