Linda Grant (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Linda Grant is a British
novelist and occasional journalist.
to a family of Russian and Polish Jewish immigrants.
She was educated at The Belvedere School (Girls' Day School Trust
), read English at the University of York
(1972 to 1975), then completed an M.A. in English at McMaster University
in Canada
. She did post-graduate studies at Simon Fraser University
.
and eventually wrote her own column for eighteen months. She published her first book, a non-fiction work, Sexing the Millennium: A Political History of the Sexual Revolution in 1993. She wrote a personal memoir of her mother's fight with vascular dementia called Remind Me Who I Am, Again.
Her second novel, When I Lived in Modern Times won the Orange Prize. Her fiction draws heavily on her Jewish background, family history, and the history of Liverpool. She has developed a special interest in the state of Israel
.
In 2006, she was named a winner of the Lettre Ulysses Award
for reportage.
The Clothes on Their Backs was shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize
and won the South Bank Show award in the Literature category.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
novelist and occasional journalist.
Early life
Linda Grant was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to a family of Russian and Polish Jewish immigrants.
She was educated at The Belvedere School (Girls' Day School Trust
Girls' Day School Trust
The Girls' Day School Trust is a group of 26 independent schools - 24 schools and two Academies - in England and Wales, catering for pupils aged 3 to 18. It is the largest group of independent schools in the UK, and educates 20,000 girls each year...
), read English at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
(1972 to 1975), then completed an M.A. in English at McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. She did post-graduate studies at Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
.
Career
In 1985 Grant returned to Britain and became a journalist, working for The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and eventually wrote her own column for eighteen months. She published her first book, a non-fiction work, Sexing the Millennium: A Political History of the Sexual Revolution in 1993. She wrote a personal memoir of her mother's fight with vascular dementia called Remind Me Who I Am, Again.
Her second novel, When I Lived in Modern Times won the Orange Prize. Her fiction draws heavily on her Jewish background, family history, and the history of Liverpool. She has developed a special interest in the state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
In 2006, she was named a winner of the Lettre Ulysses Award
Lettre Ulysses Award
The Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage has been given annually since 2003 for the best texts in the genre of literary reportage, which must have been first published during the previous two years...
for reportage.
The Clothes on Their Backs was shortlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
and won the South Bank Show award in the Literature category.
Non fiction
- The Thoughtful Dresser, Virago Press (London) 2009
- The People on the Street, a writer's view of Israel, Virago PressVirago PressVirago is a British publishing company founded in 1973 by Carmen Callil to publish books by women writers. Both new works and reissued books by neglected authors have featured on the imprint's list....
(London) 2006 - Remind Me Who I Am, Again Granta Books (London) 1998
- Sexing the Millennium: A Political History of the Sexual Revolution. HarperCollins (London) 1993
Fiction
- We Had It So Good, Virago Press (London) 2011
- The Clothes On Their Backs, Virago Press (London) 2008
- Still Here, Little Brown May (London) 2002
- When I Lived in Modern TimesWhen I Lived in Modern TimesWhen I Lived in Modern Times is a novel by Linda Grant. It won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2000....
, Granta Books (London) 2000 - The Cast Iron Shore, Granta Books (London) 1995
Awards
- The Clothes on Their Backs (2008) Shortlisted, Booker Prize; Longlisted, Orange Prize for Fiction
- The People on the Street: A Writer's View of Israel (2006) Winner, Lettre Ulysses Prize for Literary Reportage
- Still Here (2002) Longlisted, Booker Prize
- When I Lived in Modern Times (2000) Winner Orange Prize for Fiction; shortlisted Jewish Quarterly Prize
- Remind Me Who I Am Again (1998) Winner, Mind Book of the Year; Winner, Age Concern Book of the Year
- The Cast Iron Shore (1996) Winner, David Higham First Novel Prize; shortlisted, Guardian Book of the Year