A. L. Kennedy
Encyclopedia
Alison Louise Kennedy is a Scottish writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction. She is known for a characteristically dark tone, a blending of realism
and fantasy
, and for her serious approach to her work. She contributes columns and reviews to UK and European newspapers including the fictional diary of her pet parrot named Charlie.
and is an Associate Professor in Creative Writing
with University of Warwick
, having previously taught creative writing at the University of St Andrews
.
Kennedy performs as a stand-up comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe
, comedy clubs and literary festivals. She is principally associated with The Stand Comedy Club
in Edinburgh. In 2007, she won a Lannan Literary Award, was awarded an honorary DLitt degree
from the University of Glasgow
, and her novel of that year Day
was named Costa Book of the Year in the Costa Book Awards
.
In 2007 she won the Austrian State Prize for European Literature
. In 2009, she donated the short story Vanish to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales
' project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Her story was published in the 'Air' collection.
In January 2011, she was confirmed as a candidate for the Rector of the University of Glasgow by students at the university. She subsequently lost the election against the incumbent, Charles Kennedy MP on 22 February 2011.
"Failing to Fall" (1994)
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, and for her serious approach to her work. She contributes columns and reviews to UK and European newspapers including the fictional diary of her pet parrot named Charlie.
Background
Kennedy currently lives in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and is an Associate Professor in Creative Writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
with University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, having previously taught creative writing at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
.
Kennedy performs as a stand-up comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
, comedy clubs and literary festivals. She is principally associated with The Stand Comedy Club
The Stand Comedy Club
The Stand Comedy Club are three stand-up comedy venues in the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle upon Tyne.-History:The Stand hosted its first regular club night on Thursday 21st September 1995: seven people came and the total box office was £22....
in Edinburgh. In 2007, she won a Lannan Literary Award, was awarded an honorary DLitt degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, and her novel of that year Day
Day (2007 novel)
Day is a novel by A. L. Kennedy. It won the novel category and the overall Costa Book of the Year Award in the 2007 Costa Book Awards. The novel is about a man who was a tailgunner in a Lancaster bomber aircraft during World War II. Later, he is an extra in a film about prisoners of war....
was named Costa Book of the Year in the Costa Book Awards
Costa Book Awards
The Costa Book Awards are a series of literary awards given to books by authors based in Great Britain and Ireland. They were known as the Whitbread Book Awards until 2005, after which Costa Coffee, a subsidiary of Whitbread, took over sponsorship....
.
In 2007 she won the Austrian State Prize for European Literature
Austrian State Prize for European Literature
The Austrian State Prize for European Literature , also known as the European Literary Award , is a literary prize in Austria awarded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Art to European writers...
. In 2009, she donated the short story Vanish to Oxfam's 'Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales refers to four anthologies of short stories written by 38 of the UK's best known authors. All the authors donated their stories to Oxfam...
' project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Her story was published in the 'Air' collection.
In January 2011, she was confirmed as a candidate for the Rector of the University of Glasgow by students at the university. She subsequently lost the election against the incumbent, Charles Kennedy MP on 22 February 2011.
Novels
- Looking for the Possible Dance (1993) ISBN 978-0749397586
- So I Am Glad (1995) ISBN 978-0099457213
- Everything You Need (1999) ISBN 978-0099730613
- Paradise (2004) ISBN 978-0099433491
- DayDay (2007 novel)Day is a novel by A. L. Kennedy. It won the novel category and the overall Costa Book of the Year Award in the 2007 Costa Book Awards. The novel is about a man who was a tailgunner in a Lancaster bomber aircraft during World War II. Later, he is an extra in a film about prisoners of war....
(5 April 2007) ISBN 978-0099494058 - The Blue Book (4 August 2011) ISBN 978-0224091404
Short Stories
- Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains (1990) ISBN 978-0099450061
- Now That You're Back (1994) ISBN 978-0099457114
- Tea and Biscuits (1996) ISBN 978-1857997576
- Original Bliss (1997) ISBN 978-0099730712
- Indelible Acts (2002) ISBN 978-0099433484
- Frank from The Book of Other PeopleThe Book of Other PeopleThe Book of Other People is a collection of short stories, published in 2008 by Penguin Books. Selected and edited by Zadie Smith, it contains 23 short stories by 23 different authors, among them Nick Hornby, David Mitchell, Colm Tóibín, Jonathan Safran Foer, Dave Eggers, as well as Smith herself...
(2008) - What Becomes (6 August 2009) ISBN 978-0224077873
"Failing to Fall" (1994)
Non-fiction
- Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (1997) ISBN 0-85170-568-5
- On Bullfighting (1999) ISBN 0-224-06099-6
- Luwak Care and Breeding (2010) ISBN 0-123
Screenwriting
- Stella Does TricksStella Does TricksStella Does Tricks is a 1996 film about a young Glaswegian girl Stella, played by Kelly Macdonald, working as a prostitute in London.The film was the first feature film directed by Coky Giedroyc, inspired her previous work making documentaries about homeless people in Glasgow, Manchester, and...
(1997) - DiceDice (TV mini-series)Dice is a Canada/UK co-produced drama television mini-series. It was directed by Rachel Talalay and written by A. L. Kennedy and John Burnside, inspired by cult 70s novel The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart.-Plot:...
(2001), with John BurnsideJohn BurnsideJohn Burnside is a Scottish writer, born in Dunfermline.-Background:Burnside studied English and European Languages at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology. A former computer software engineer, he has been a freelance writer since 1996...
Selected radio
- Confessions of a Medium (2010), broadcast as the Saturday Play on Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, 13 March 2010 - "Happy Families", broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 1 September 2011
External links
- Author's official site
- "Comedy is my self-defence", The Guardian, August 7, 2006
- "You can call me AL", The Observer, 25 March 2007
- "Everybody knows I’m miserable now", The Times, 6 August 2006
- "Having a crack at comedy", The Scotsman, 23 July 2006
- A review of Day at Open Letters Monthly
- "Guardian blog - for attention of Luwak remover Smith"
- Audio: AL Kennedy in discussion on the BBC World Service discussion show The ForumThe Forum (BBC World Service)The Forum is the BBC World Service's flagship discussion programme. It brings together prominent thinkers from different disciplines and different parts of the world to try and create stimulating discussion, informed by highly distinct academic, artistic and cultural backgrounds.-Format:Each...
- AL Kennedy reading at writLOUD in London