Elly Niland
Encyclopedia
Elly Niland is a poet, playwright and teacher.
Her first collection of poetry
was nominated for Best First Book of Poetry
and was runner up for the Guyana Prize for Literature 2004. Her second collection Cornerstones won the Guyana Prize for Literature 2006. Her 3rd collection, East of Centre, was funded by the British Arts Council and launched with several of the regions' leading writers at CARIFESTA 2008.
in 1954, and has lived in Surrey
with her husband and children since 1971. After studying as a mature student at Hillcroft College
in Britain, she went on to read for her Modern Arts degree at Kingston University
and then to take her PGCE
.
dramatised Harold Sonny Ladoo
’s short novel, No Pain Like This Body – depicting the terrifying world of a family brutalised by violence, poverty and nature itself. Set in a Hindu
Community in the Eastern Caribbean in 1905 during the August rainy season, it centres on a poor rice-growing family's struggle to survive. No Pain Like this Body was broadcast on BBC Radio 3
in 2003
in 2005.
stories set in a fictional village in Guyana
.
Her first collection of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
was nominated for Best First Book of Poetry
and was runner up for the Guyana Prize for Literature 2004. Her second collection Cornerstones won the Guyana Prize for Literature 2006. Her 3rd collection, East of Centre, was funded by the British Arts Council and launched with several of the regions' leading writers at CARIFESTA 2008.
Early life and education
Niland was born in GuyanaGuyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
in 1954, and has lived in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
with her husband and children since 1971. After studying as a mature student at Hillcroft College
Hillcroft College
Hillcroft College is a residential adult education college for women, located in Surbiton area of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in South London, England, ....
in Britain, she went on to read for her Modern Arts degree at Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
and then to take her PGCE
PGCE
PGCE can stand for:* Postgraduate Certificate in Education, an English, Welsh and Northern Irish teacher-training qualification that includes master's credits...
.
Collaborations
Elly Niland and David DabydeenDavid Dabydeen
David Dabydeen is a Guyanese-born critic, writer and novelist.Dabydeen was born in Berbice, Guyana, his birth registered at New Amsterdam Registrar of Births as David Horace Clarence Harilal Sookram...
dramatised Harold Sonny Ladoo
Harold Sonny Ladoo
Harold Sonny Ladoo was a Caribbean novelist and author of two books documenting the struggles of living in poverty in the Hindu communities of Trinidad and Tobago.Ladoo was born and grew up in an environment much like the world of his novels...
’s short novel, No Pain Like This Body – depicting the terrifying world of a family brutalised by violence, poverty and nature itself. Set in a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Community in the Eastern Caribbean in 1905 during the August rainy season, it centres on a poor rice-growing family's struggle to survive. No Pain Like this Body was broadcast on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
in 2003
BBC commission
The Fog, a story about a sickness spreading across Malaysia, was specially commissioned for the BBC’s Commonwealth Stories season and was read by Liz Sutherland on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC 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...
in 2005.
Fiction
Niland is currently working on a collection of creoleCreole
- Languages :A Creole language is a stable, full-fledged language that originated from a pidgin or combination of other languages.Creole languages subgroups may include:* Arabic-based creole languages* Dutch-based creole languages...
stories set in a fictional village in Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
.