Stephen Kelman
Stephen Kelman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (age 49–50) Luton, Bedfordshire, UK |
| Education | University of Luton |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Pigeon English |
Stephen Kelman (born 1976) is an English novelist. His debut novel, Pigeon English, was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize.
Early life and education
Born in 1976,[1][2] Kelman grew up in Luton on the Marsh Farm council estate,[3] and earned a degree in marketing at the University of Luton.[4]
Career
Kelman held a variety of jobs, in a warehouse, in marketing, in local government,[4] and as a caseworker, before deciding in 2005 to focus on writing.[1][5]
After writing several screenplays which were not picked up and a novel which he did not submit,[1] Kelman completed the first draft of a second novel, Pigeon English, shortly before being made redundant from his local authority position.[2][6] It was rescued from a literary agency's slush pile and published in 2011 after a bidding war between publishers.[4][5][7][8] It was a commercial success[9] and was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize,[3] the Desmond Elliott Prize,[8] the Guardian First Book Award and the 2011 Galaxy National Book Awards New Writer of the Year Award,[10] and was one of the Waterstones 11 in that award's first year.[6][11] It is based on the killing of Damilola Taylor but its protagonist is an 11-year-old Ghanaian instead of a 10-year-old Nigerian.[1][7][9]
In 2015 Kelman published a second novel, Man on Fire, based on the life of Bibhuti Bhushan Nayak, an Indian journalist and multiple record holder for feats of endurance and repeated exercises.[2][12][13][14]
Personal life
Kelman and his wife, Uzma, married in 2011.[3][12] He has written about being abused by his father.[15]
References
- ^ a b c d "Booker longlist: Stephen Kelman on Pigeon English", 3 August 2011.
- ^ a b c Erica Wagner, "Stephen Kelman: Britain’s new hot novelist", The Times, 26 February 2011.
- ^ a b c "Stephen Kelman: 'I feel that I've gatecrashed the Booker Prize shortlist'", Evening Standard, [7 September 2011] 10 April 2012.
- ^ a b c "Author fulfils destiny with Booker prize nomination acclaim", Luton & Dunstable Express, 14 August 2011, archived from the original on 25 March 2012.
- ^ a b Mark Brown, "Man Booker prize 2011 longlist includes quartet of debut novels", The Guardian, 26 July 2011.
- ^ a b Kate Youde Andchris Stevenson, "Here's something novel – backing for first-time writers", The Independent, 22 January 2011.
- ^ a b Lewis Jones, "Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman: review", Daily Telegraph, 7 March 2011.
- ^ a b "'Overnight success' in line for Desmond Elliott prize", BBC News, 25 May 2011.
- ^ a b Michael Perfect, "London as a 'Brutal', 'Hutious' City: Stephen Kelman's Pigeon English (2011)", in: Contemporary Fictions of Multiculturalism, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, ISBN 978-1-349-45543-0, pp. 180–98, doi:10.1057/9781137307125_8.
- ^ "Stephen Kelman", The Booker Prizes, retrieved 13 January 2026.
- ^ "UK book chain starts annual debut authors hot list", Reuters, 21 January 2011.
- ^ a b "How a kick in the groin sparked Stephen Kelman's new book", The Herald, 1 August 2015.
- ^ Erica Wagner, "Man on Fire by Stephen Kelman review – pain means nothing to BB Nayak", The Guardian, 8 August 2015.
- ^ Vijay Singh, "Fittest vegetarian at 50, B B Nayak set to attempt 3 world records on a single day", Times of India, 24 June 2015.
- ^ Stephen Kelman, "'There is one story we never tell': will old family photos bring joy to my ailing mother – or remind us of dark secrets?", The Guardian, 11 January 2026.
External links
- Stephen Kelman at C&W Literary Agency