Roger Norman (novelist)
Encyclopedia
Roger Norman is a British
novelist living in Turkey
. He is the author of three widely-acclaimed novels for adults and children, mainly centering on the countryside of Dorset
in southwest England
.
, a leading British industrialist and former president of the Confederation of British Industry
and Chairman of the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development. Norman was educated at Sherborne School
and Cambridge University. In the course of his life, Norman has lived and worked in Greece as an olive farmer, been features Editor of the English-language Turkish Daily News
in Ankara
, taught in several universities, and served as a consultant on missions for several United Nations agencies examining agriculture and economic development. He currently works full-time as a writer and lives in Eskişehir
in the region of Turkey known in Classical times as Phrygia
.
Norman’s fiction continues the English tradition begun by John Masefield
and John Cowper Powys
, in which an undercurrent of supernatural fantasy
or even mildly occult
events interacts with characters in a modern British setting. Albion’s Dream, first published in 1990, tells the story of a 12 year old schoolboy and his cousin who find a home-made boardgame in a farmhouse cupboard. They begin to play the game and quickly find that it unlocks mysterious forces and situations which they find it increasingly difficult to master. Tree-Time, 1997, is a fantasy novel for younger children about a night that happens once every century when trees come to life and walk around while the world sleeps. Red Die, (2008) recounts the last weeks in the life of a World War I army deserter, Jack Yeoman, in October 1916 as he travels across the Dorset countryside guided by a set of red dice, pursued by his enemies. The story builds up to a shattering tragic climax on the eve of All Saints
day, at Dorset’s famous prehistoric monument Giant Hill at Cerne Abbas
. In addition to his fiction writings, Norman also contributes articles to newspapers and magazines.
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...
novelist living in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He is the author of three widely-acclaimed novels for adults and children, mainly centering on the countryside of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in southwest 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...
.
Biography
Norman was born in 1948, the third child of Sir Arthur NormanArthur Norman
Sir Arthur Gordon Norman CBE DFC , was a leading British industrialist, President of the CBI and Chairman of the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development....
, a leading British industrialist and former president of the Confederation of British Industry
Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
and Chairman of the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development. Norman was educated at Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
and Cambridge University. In the course of his life, Norman has lived and worked in Greece as an olive farmer, been features Editor of the English-language Turkish Daily News
Turkish Daily News
The Hürriyet Daily News, formerly Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey....
in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, taught in several universities, and served as a consultant on missions for several United Nations agencies examining agriculture and economic development. He currently works full-time as a writer and lives in Eskişehir
Eskisehir
Eskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby...
in the region of Turkey known in Classical times as Phrygia
Phrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
.
Norman’s fiction continues the English tradition begun by John Masefield
John Masefield
John Edward Masefield, OM, was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967...
and John Cowper Powys
John Cowper Powys
-Biography:Powys was born in Shirley, Derbyshire, in 1872, the son of the Reverend Charles Francis Powys , who was vicar of Montacute, Somerset for thirty-two years, and Mary Cowper Johnson, a descendent of the poet William Cowper. He came from a family of eleven children, many of whom were also...
, in which an undercurrent of supernatural 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...
or even mildly occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
events interacts with characters in a modern British setting. Albion’s Dream, first published in 1990, tells the story of a 12 year old schoolboy and his cousin who find a home-made boardgame in a farmhouse cupboard. They begin to play the game and quickly find that it unlocks mysterious forces and situations which they find it increasingly difficult to master. Tree-Time, 1997, is a fantasy novel for younger children about a night that happens once every century when trees come to life and walk around while the world sleeps. Red Die, (2008) recounts the last weeks in the life of a World War I army deserter, Jack Yeoman, in October 1916 as he travels across the Dorset countryside guided by a set of red dice, pursued by his enemies. The story builds up to a shattering tragic climax on the eve of All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
day, at Dorset’s famous prehistoric monument Giant Hill at Cerne Abbas
Cerne Abbas
Cerne Abbas is a village located in the valley of the River Cerne, between steep chalk downland in central Dorset, England. The village is located just to the east of the A352 road north of Dorchester. There was a population of 732 at the 2001 census, a figure which has fallen from 780 in 1998.In...
. In addition to his fiction writings, Norman also contributes articles to newspapers and magazines.
Published works
- Albion's Dream (Faber and FaberFaber and FaberFaber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
, 1990) - Tree Time (Faber and Faber, 1997)
- Red Die (Sundial Press, 2008)