Adam Thorpe
Encyclopedia
Adam ThorpeAdam Thorpe (born 5 December 1956, Paris
, France
) is a British
poet
, novelist and playwright
whose works also include short stories and radio dramas.
, Cameroon
and England
. Graduating from Oxford's Magdalen College
in 1979, he founded a touring theatre company, then settled in London
to teach drama and English literature.
His writing in various genres has garnered recognition throughout his career. His first collection of poetry, Mornings in the Baltic (1988), was shortlisted that year for the Whitbread Poetry Award
. His first novel, Ulverton
(1992), an episodic work covering 350 years of English rural history, won great critical acclaim worldwide, including that of the novelist John Fowles
, who reviewed it in The Guardian
and praised it:
The novel was awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for 1992. Thorpe lives in France with his wife and three children. His most recent work, Hodd, is a novelisation of the story of Robin Hood
: among the source material which Thorpe used for this book, he studied medieval pipe rolls
.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, novelist and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
whose works also include short stories and radio dramas.
Career
Adam Thorpe was born in Paris and grew up in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Graduating from Oxford's Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
in 1979, he founded a touring theatre company, then settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to teach drama and English literature.
His writing in various genres has garnered recognition throughout his career. His first collection of poetry, Mornings in the Baltic (1988), was shortlisted that year for the Whitbread Poetry Award
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....
. His first novel, Ulverton
Ulverton
Ulverton is the first novel by British author Adam Thorpe. The work recounts 300 years of history in the fictional village of Ulverton, stylistically representing the literary eras of the day. The novel won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize in 1992....
(1992), an episodic work covering 350 years of English rural history, won great critical acclaim worldwide, including that of the novelist John Fowles
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
, who reviewed it in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and praised it:
"...the most interesting first novel I have read these last years".
The novel was awarded the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for 1992. Thorpe lives in France with his wife and three children. His most recent work, Hodd, is a novelisation of the story of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
: among the source material which Thorpe used for this book, he studied medieval pipe rolls
Pipe Rolls
The Pipe rolls, sometimes called the Great rolls, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury. The earliest date from the 12th century, and the series extends, mostly complete, from then until 1833. They form the oldest continuous series of records kept by...
.
Poetry
- Mornings in the Baltic (1988)
- Meeting Montaigne (1990)
- From the Neanderthal (1999)
- Nine Lessons From the Dark (2003)
- Bird with a Broken Wing (2007)
Novels
- UlvertonUlvertonUlverton is the first novel by British author Adam Thorpe. The work recounts 300 years of history in the fictional village of Ulverton, stylistically representing the literary eras of the day. The novel won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize in 1992....
(1992) - Still (1995)
- Pieces of Light (1998)
- Nineteen Twenty-One (2001)
- No Telling (2003)
- The Rules of Perspective (2005)
- Between Each Breath (2007)
- The Standing Pool (2008)
- Hodd (2009)
Dramas
- The Fen Story (1991)
- Offa's Daughter (1993)
- Couch Grass and Ribbon (1996)
- An Envied Place (2002)
Prizes and awards
- Eric Gregory AwardEric Gregory AwardThe Eric Gregory Award is given by the Society of Authors to British poets under 30 on submission. The awards are up to a sum value of £24000 annually....
for poetry (1985) - Whitbread Poetry Award (shortlist)–Mornings in the Baltic (1988)
- Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for regional literature–Ulverton (1992)
- Forward Poetry PrizeForward Poetry PrizeThe Forward Poetry Prizes were created in 1991. The aim of the prizes is to extend the audience for contemporary poetry. Until the T.S. Eliot Prize remuneration was increased to £15,000 plus £1000 to each of nine runners-up, the Forward was the United Kingdom's most valuable annual poetry...
for Best Poetry Collection of the Year (shortlist)–Birds with a Broken Wing (2007)
External links
- Chapter 1 of Pieces of Light by Adam Thorpe, reprinted in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Retrieved 5 June 2008. - Richard Elder, Hearts of Darkness (review of Pieces of Light), The New York Times, February 6, 2000. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
- Watch a video interview with Adam Thorpe on The Interview Online
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/5369532/Hodd-by-Adam-Thorpe-review.htmlReview "Hodd" in The TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
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