Nikki Gemmell
Encyclopedia
Nikki Gemmell is an Australia
n author, best known for anonymously
writing the best-selling erotic novel The Bride Stripped Bare
.
Gemmell was born in Wollongong, New South Wales
and attended Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart, Sydney
on a scholarship, then graduated with a Masters in Writing from the University of Technology, Sydney
. She has worked as a radio journalist for ABC Radio
in Sydney, New South Wales, Darwin, Northern Territory
, Alice Springs, Northern Territory
, at Triple J
, the ABC's youth network and as a producer for the BBC World Service
.
She wrote three novels: Shiver, Cleave and Love Song, before the 2003 publication of The Bride Stripped Bare, which became an international bestseller. A follow-up novel entitled With My Body was published in Australia and the UK in October 2011 and is scheduled to be published in the United States in 2012.
In 1999, Cleave was shortlisted in the Fiction category of the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
.
The Bride Stripped Bare was published anonymously, however Gemmell had been publicly identified as its author before publication. It went on the become the best-selling book by an Australian author in 2003.
Gemmell's narrative style has gained her critical and popular acclaim in France. She has been described in France as a "female Jack Kerouac
". In 2007, the French literary magazine Lire
included her in a list of what it called the fifty most important writers in the world – those it believed would have a significant influence on the literature of the 21st century.
In 2003 Gemmell wrote a weekly column for the Mail on Sunday in London which formed the basis of a compendium titled Pleasure: An Almanac for the Heart (2006).. She currently writes a column for The Australian
newspaper.
Four books by Gemmell, Shiver, Cleave, The Bride Stripped Bare and The Book of Rapture, made the longlist of "Favourite Australian Novels" as chosen by readers of the Australian Book Review.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author, best known for anonymously
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
writing the best-selling erotic novel The Bride Stripped Bare
The Bride Stripped Bare
The Bride Stripped Bare is a 2003 novel written by the Australian writer Nikki Gemmell, originally published anonymously. The title is borrowed from the painting The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even by Marcel Duchamp...
.
Gemmell was born in Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
and attended Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart, Sydney
Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart, Sydney
Kincoppal-Rose Bay, School of the Sacred Heart , is a private, Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for girls, located in Rose Bay, an eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
on a scholarship, then graduated with a Masters in Writing from the University of Technology, Sydney
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. UTS is notable for its central location as the only university with its main campuses within the Sydney CBD...
. She has worked as a radio journalist for ABC Radio
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
in Sydney, New South Wales, Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Alice Springs is the second largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Popularly known as "the Alice" or simply "Alice", Alice Springs is situated in the geographic centre of Australia near the southern border of the Northern Territory...
, at Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
, the ABC's youth network and as a producer for the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
.
She wrote three novels: Shiver, Cleave and Love Song, before the 2003 publication of The Bride Stripped Bare, which became an international bestseller. A follow-up novel entitled With My Body was published in Australia and the UK in October 2011 and is scheduled to be published in the United States in 2012.
In 1999, Cleave was shortlisted in the Fiction category of the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1999 and have grown to become a leading literary awards program within Australia, with $225,000 in prizemoney over 14 categories. One of Australia's richest prizes, top categories offer up to $25,000 for 1st prize.-Fiction Book...
.
The Bride Stripped Bare was published anonymously, however Gemmell had been publicly identified as its author before publication. It went on the become the best-selling book by an Australian author in 2003.
Gemmell's narrative style has gained her critical and popular acclaim in France. She has been described in France as a "female Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
". In 2007, the French literary magazine Lire
Lire
Lire is a French literary magazine covering both French and foreign literature. It was founded in 1975 by Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber and Bernard Pivot.-External links:*...
included her in a list of what it called the fifty most important writers in the world – those it believed would have a significant influence on the literature of the 21st century.
In 2003 Gemmell wrote a weekly column for the Mail on Sunday in London which formed the basis of a compendium titled Pleasure: An Almanac for the Heart (2006).. She currently writes a column for The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
newspaper.
Four books by Gemmell, Shiver, Cleave, The Bride Stripped Bare and The Book of Rapture, made the longlist of "Favourite Australian Novels" as chosen by readers of the Australian Book Review.
Novels
- Shiver (1997); published as Traversée in France
- Cleave (1998); published as Alice Springs in the United States (1999) and Les noces sauvages in France
- Lovesong (2002)
- The Bride Stripped BareThe Bride Stripped BareThe Bride Stripped Bare is a 2003 novel written by the Australian writer Nikki Gemmell, originally published anonymously. The title is borrowed from the painting The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even by Marcel Duchamp...
(2003); published as La mariée mise à nu in France - The Book of Rapture (2009)
- With My Body (UK and Australia 2011, United States 2012)
Non fiction
- Pleasure: An Almanac of the Heart (2006), published as Plaisir : Un florilège du coeur in France
- Why You Are Australian – A Letter to My Children (2009)