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{{short description|British writer}}
{{Short description|British writer, born 1941}}
{{use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}

⚫
'''Jamila Gavin''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSL}} (born 9 August 1941) is a British writer born in [[Mussoorie]] in the [[United Provinces (1937–50)|United Provinces]] of India, in the present-day state of [[Uttarakhand]] in the [[Western Himalayas]].<!--Brit Council and walker-alex jointly--> She is known mainly for [[children's books]], including several with Indian contexts.
{{Infobox author
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|9 August 1941}}
| honorific_suffix = [[Royal Society of Literature|FRSL]]
| birth_place = [[Mussoorie]], India
| notable_works = ''[[Coram Boy]]'' (2000)
| nationality = British
| occupation = Author
| awards = [[Whitbread Children's Book Award]] (2000)
}}

⚫
'''Jamila Gavin''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSL}} (born 9 August 1941) is a British writer who is known mainly for [[children's books]], including several with Indian contexts.


==Life==
==Life==
Gavin was born on 9 August 1941 in Mussoorie in the foothills of the Himalayas. Her Indian father and English mother had met as teachers in [[Iran]].<ref name=egmont/> She learned to describe herself as "half and half". She says online that from her mixed background "I inherited two rich cultures which ran side by side throughout my life, and which always made me feel I belonged to both countries."
Gavin was born on 9 August 1941 in Mussoorie in the [[United Provinces (1937–50)|United Provinces]] of India, in the present-day state of [[Uttarakhand]] in the [[Western Himalayas]].<ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org">{{Cite web |title=Jamila Gavin – Literature |url=https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/jamila-gavin |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=[[British Council]]}}</ref> Her Indian father and English mother had met as teachers in [[Iran]].<ref name=egmont/> She learned to describe herself as "half and half".{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} She says online that from her mixed background "I inherited two rich cultures which ran side by side throughout my life, and which always made me feel I belonged to both countries."{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}


Gavin first visited England when she was six and settled there when she was 11. As an adult she worked in the music department of the [[BBC]] before becoming a writer. She wrote her first book, ''The Magic Orange Tree and Other Stories'', in 1979. After her first child was born, she became aware that there were few children's books reflecting the experience of multi-racial children. She has also written books reflecting her childhood in India, particularly her Surya trilogy.
Gavin first visited England when she was six and settled there when she was 11.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} As an adult she worked in the music department of the [[BBC]] before becoming a writer.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} She wrote her first book, ''The Magic Orange Tree and Other Stories'', in 1979. After her first child was born, she became aware that there were few children's books reflecting the experience of multi-racial children.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} She has also written books reflecting her childhood in India, particularly her Surya trilogy.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}


Gavin is a patron of the [[Shakespeare Schools Festival]], a charity that allows schoolchildren across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres.<ref>[http://ssf.uk.com/patrons/jamila-gavin "Jamila Gavin"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005030444/http://www.ssf.uk.com/patrons/jamila-gavin |date=5 October 2011}}. Shakespeare Schools Festival (''ssf.uk.com''). London. [2009]. Retrieved 27 November 2012.</ref>
Gavin is a patron of the [[Shakespeare Schools Festival]], a charity that allows schoolchildren across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.shakespeareschools.org/about-us/patrons |title=Shakespeare Schools Foundation Patrons |website=Shakespeare Schools Foundation |publisher=[[Shakespeare Schools Foundation]] |access-date=12 July 2021 |archive-date=11 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211165434/https://www.shakespeareschools.org/about-us/patrons |url-status=dead }}</ref>


Gavin settled in [[Stroud]], [[Gloucestershire]] before 1990 and was still living there in 2012.<ref name=walker-alex/> In 2016, she became one of the founders of the Stroud Book Festival,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stroudfestival.org/word.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=8 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506070910/http://stroudfestival.org/word.html |archive-date=6 May 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> together with Cindy Jefferies.<ref>[[Cindy Jefferies]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=May 2017}}<ref>[http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/big-interview-jamila-gavin-writer-and-director-of-stroud-s-first-ever-book-festival/story-29816176-detail/story.html]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
Gavin settled in [[Stroud]], [[Gloucestershire]] before 1990 and was still living there in 2012.<ref name=walker-alex/> In 2016, she became one of the founders of the Stroud Book Festival,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stroudfestival.org/word.html |title=Word |access-date=8 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506070910/http://stroudfestival.org/word.html |archive-date=6 May 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> together with Cindy Jefferies.<ref>[[Cindy Jefferies]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=May 2017}}<ref>[http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/big-interview-jamila-gavin-writer-and-director-of-stroud-s-first-ever-book-festival/story-29816176-detail/story.html]{{Dead link|date=January 2020|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>


==Writer==
==Writer==
The Surya trilogy – ''The Wheel of Surya'' (1992), ''The Eye of the Horse'' (1994) and ''The Track of the Wind'' (1997) – is a [[family saga]] that follows two generations of Indian [[Sikh]]s and shows the impact of the [[British Empire]] and the [[Partition of India]] on their lives. All three books made [[Guardian Children's Fiction Prize]] shortlists; ''The Wheel of Surya'' was special runner-up.<!-- source is Extlink British Council -->
The Surya trilogy – ''The Wheel of Surya'' (1992), ''The Eye of the Horse'' (1994) and ''The Track of the Wind'' (1997) – is a [[family saga]] that follows two generations of Indian [[Sikhs]] and shows the impact of the [[British Empire]] and the [[Partition of India]] on their lives. All three books made [[Guardian Children's Fiction Prize]] shortlists; ''The Wheel of Surya'' was special runner-up.<!-- source is Extlink British Council -->


''[[Coram Boy]]'' won the 2000 [[Whitbread Prize]] as Children's Book of the Year. It is set in the 18th century, being based on the [[Foundling Hospital]] established in London by sea Captain [[Thomas Coram]]. According to a local newspaper, the story "has links to Gloucestershire."<ref name=SNJ/> ''Coram Boy'' has been [[Coram Boy (play)|adapted for the stage]] by [[Helen Edmundson]] and produced by the [[Royal National Theatre]] in 2005–2006 – garnering Edmundson an [[Olivier Award]].<ref>[http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/welcome-to-the-national-theatre/the-history-of-the-national-theatre/stage-by-stage-2 "South Bank: 2003–2012"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922163024/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/welcome-to-the-national-theatre/the-history-of-the-national-theatre/stage-by-stage-2 |date=22 September 2013}} ''The History of the National Theatre''. National Theatre. Retrieved 8 September 2013.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2006/ |title=Olivier Winners 2006 |website=Olivier Awards}}</ref> It also ran on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 2007.
''[[Coram Boy]]'' won the 2000 [[Whitbread Prize]] as Children's Book of the Year. It is set in the 18th century, being based on the [[Foundling Hospital]] established in London by sea Captain [[Thomas Coram]]. According to a local newspaper, the story "has links to Gloucestershire."<ref name=SNJ/> ''Coram Boy'' has been [[Coram Boy (play)|adapted for the stage]] by [[Helen Edmundson]] and produced by the [[Royal National Theatre]] in 2005–2006, garnering Edmundson an [[Olivier Award]].<ref>[http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/welcome-to-the-national-theatre/the-history-of-the-national-theatre/stage-by-stage-2 "South Bank: 2003–2012"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922163024/http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover-more/welcome-to-the-national-theatre/the-history-of-the-national-theatre/stage-by-stage-2 |date=22 September 2013}} ''The History of the National Theatre''. National Theatre. Retrieved 8 September 2013.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2006/ |title=Olivier Winners 2006 |website=Olivier Awards |access-date=9 January 2019 |archive-date=29 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029113820/https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2006/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It also ran on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 2007.


''Three Indian Goddesses'' and ''Three Indian Princesses'' are collections of short stories based around Indian legends. Nine other short stories were collected as ''[[The Magic Orange Tree and Other Stories]]''.
''Three Indian Goddesses'' and ''Three Indian Princesses'' are collections of short stories based around Indian legends. Nine other short stories were collected as ''[[The Magic Orange Tree and Other Stories]]''.


''Grandpa Chatterji'' is a series for younger children, named after its first book, which was [[film adaptation|adapted for television]] in 1997.<ref>[http://www.eagletv.co.uk/projects/grandpa-chatterji.html Video.]</ref> Other books in the series are ''Grandpa Chatterji's Third Eye'' and ''Grandpa's Indian Summer''. The first book made the [[Smarties Prize]] shortlist for reader ages 6–8.<ref name=egmont/>
''Grandpa Chatterji'' is a series for younger children, named after its first book, which was [[film adaptation|adapted for television]] in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.eagletv.co.uk/projects/grandpa-chatterji.html |title=Video. |access-date=7 April 2020 |archive-date=4 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804085734/https://eagletv.co.uk/projects/grandpa-chatterji.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Other books in the series are ''Grandpa Chatterji's Third Eye'' and ''Grandpa's Indian Summer''. The first book made the [[Smarties Prize]] shortlist for reader ages 6–8.<ref name=egmont/>


Jamila Gavin has also written ''The Robber Baron's Daughter'', ''Forbidden Memories'', ''I Want to be An Angel'', ''Kamla and Kate'', ''Someone's Watching, Someone's Waiting'', ''The Hideaway'' and ''The Wormholers''.
Jamila Gavin has also written ''The Robber Baron's Daughter'', ''Forbidden Memories'', ''I Want to be An Angel'', ''Kamla and Kate'', ''Someone's Watching, Someone's Waiting'', ''The Hideaway'' and ''The Wormholers''.


⚫
== Awards and honours ==
==Works==
Gavin became a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Literature]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Royal Society of Literature » Current RSL Fellows |url=https://rsliterature.org/fellows/current-fellows/ |website=rsliterature.org |access-date=9 January 2019 |archive-date=6 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190206015823/https://rsliterature.org/fellows/current-fellows/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+Awards for Gavin's writing
!Year
!Title
!Award
!Result
!Ref.
|-
|1992
|''{{sort|Wheel of Surya|The Wheel of Surya}}''
|[[Guardian Children's Fiction Prize]]
|Shortlist
⚫
|<ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org" />
|-
|1994
|''{{sort|Eye of the Horse|The Eye of the Horse}}''
|[[Guardian Children's Fiction Prize]]
|Shortlist
⚫
|<ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org" />
|-
|1997
|''{{sort|Track of the Wind|The Track of the Wind}}''
|[[Guardian Children's Fiction Prize]]
|Shortlist
⚫
|<ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org" />
|-
|2000
|''[[Coram Boy]]''
|[[Whitbread Children's Book Award]]
|'''Winner'''
⚫
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.costa.co.uk/media/414535/past-winners-complete-list.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328225415/http://www.costa.co.uk/media/414535/past-winners-complete-list.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2017 |access-date=8 March 2017}}</ref>
|-
|2001
|{{Sort|God at the Gate|''The God at the Gate''}}
|Richard Imison Memorial Award
|Shortlist
|<ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Scriptwriters Group – The Society of Authors |url=https://www.societyofauthors.org/Groups/Broadcasting/BG-Committee/Jamila-Gavin |website=societyofauthors.org |access-date=9 January 2019 |archive-date=10 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110075531/https://www.societyofauthors.org/Groups/Broadcasting/BG-Committee/Jamila-Gavin |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|2014
|''Blackberry Blue''
|Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature
|Finalist
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 July 2014 |title=Finalists Announced for Prestigious NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature |url=https://www.neustadtprize.org/finalists-announced-prestigious-nsk-neustadt-prize-childrens-literature/ |website=The Neustadt Prize |access-date=9 January 2019 |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402223402/http://www.neustadtprize.org/finalists-announced-prestigious-nsk-neustadt-prize-childrens-literature/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

== Publications ==
{{colbegin}}
{{colbegin}}
*''The Magic Orange Tree and other stories'' (1979)
*''The Magic Orange Tree and other stories'' (1979)
Line 41: Line 99:
*''The Lake of Stars''
*''The Lake of Stars''
*''Our Favorite Stories'' (1997)
*''Our Favorite Stories'' (1997)
*''The Monkey in the Stars'' (date?) — adapted by Gavin as a play for children, ''Monkeys in the Stars'' (2001)<!-- http://lccn.loc.gov/2003542875 -->
*''The Monkey in the Stars'', self-adapted as a play for children, ''Monkeys in the Stars'' (2001)<!-- [http://lccn.loc.gov/2003542875.] -->
*''[[Coram Boy]]'' (2000) <!--Egmont 2004 says ages 11+ --> <!-- adapted as a play by Helen Edmundson 2005? http://lccn.loc.gov/2006373570 -->
*''[[Coram Boy]]'' (2000) <!--Egmont 2004 says ages 11+ --> <!-- adapted as a play by Helen Edmundson, c. 2005 [http://lccn.loc.gov/2006373570.] -->
*''Grandpa Chatterji's Third Eye'' (2006)
*''Grandpa Chatterji's Third Eye'' (2006)
*''Fine Feathered Friend'' (1996)
*''Fine Feathered Friend'' (1996)
*''Three Indian Goddesses'' (2001)
*''Three Indian Goddesses'' (2001)
*''Star Child On Clark Street''
*''Star Child on Clark Street''
*''Danger By Moonlight'' (2002)
*''Danger By Moonlight'' (2002)
*''Out of India: Walking on My Hands''
*''Out of India: Walking on My Hands''
Line 55: Line 113:
*''From Out of the Shadows''
*''From Out of the Shadows''
*''The Blood Stone'' (2003)
*''The Blood Stone'' (2003)
*''The Robber Baron's Daughter'' <!--Egmont 2008 says ages 12+ -->
*''The Robber Baron's Daughter''
*''Deadly Friend'' (1994)
*''Deadly Friend'' (1994)
*''I Want to be An Angel'' (1990)
*''I Want to be An Angel'' (1990)
Line 64: Line 122:
*''The Hideaway'' (1987)
*''The Hideaway'' (1987)
*''Double Dare''
*''Double Dare''
*''Storyworlds'' (Heinemann, 1996), illustrated by Rhian Nest James <!-- picture books? -->
*''Storyworlds'' (Heinemann, 1996), illustrated by Rhian Nest James
**''Grandma's Surprise''
**''Grandma's Surprise''
**''The Mango Tree''
**''The Mango Tree''
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*''The Bow of Shiva''
*''The Bow of Shiva''
*''The Turning Point''
*''The Turning Point''
*''Alexander the Greatest'' (Walker, 2009), illus. Sumito Sakakibara
*''Alexander the Greatest'' (Walker, 2009), illustrated by Sumito Sakakibara
*''Fox''
*''Fox''
*''Derka Derb''
*''Derka Derb''
*''Alexander the Great: Man, Myth, or Monster?'' (Walker, 2012), illus. [[David Parkins]] – biography?<ref name=walker-alex/>
*''Alexander the Great: Man, Myth, or Monster?'' (Walker, 2012), illustrated by [[David Parkins]]<ref name=walker-alex/>
*''The Paradise Carpet''
*''The Paradise Carpet''
{{colend}}
{{colend}}

⚫
==Awards and honours==
*On 15 July 2014, she was announced as a finalist for the Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.neustadtprize.org/finalists-announced-prestigious-nsk-neustadt-prize-childrens-literature/ |title=Finalists Announced for Prestigious NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature |date=15 July 2014 |website=The Neustadt Prize}}</ref>
*She became a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Literature]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://rsliterature.org/fellows/current-fellows/ |title=Royal Society of Literature » Current RSL Fellows |website=rsliterature.org}}</ref>
*Shortlisted for Richard Imison Memorial Award in 2001 <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.societyofauthors.org/Groups/Broadcasting/BG-Committee/Jamila-Gavin|title=Scriptwriters Group – The Society of Authors |website=www.societyofauthors.org}}</ref><ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org">{{Cite web |url=https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/jamila-gavin|title=Jamila Gavin – Literature |website=literature.britishcouncil.org}}</ref>
⚫
*2000, Winner of Whitbread Children's Book Award (Costa Book Awards,<ref>[[Costa Book Awards]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=May 2017}}) <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.costa.co.uk/media/414535/past-winners-complete-list.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=8 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328225415/http://www.costa.co.uk/media/414535/past-winners-complete-list.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
⚫
*1997, Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, Shortlist <ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org"/>
⚫
*1994, Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, Shortlist <ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org"/>
⚫
*1992, Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, Shortlist <ref name="literature.britishcouncil.org"/>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
{{reflist|30em|refs=
⚫
<ref name=SNJ>[http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/4744195.Author_Jamila_Gavin_supports_restoration_of_Minch_Market_House/ "Author Jamila Gavin supports restoration of Minchinhampton Market House"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306174746/https://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/4744195.Author_Jamila_Gavin_supports_restoration_of_Minch_Market_House/ |date=6 March 2019 }}. Rachel Clare. ''Stroud News & Journal''. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.</ref>
<ref name=SNJ>
⚫
[http://www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/4744195.Author_Jamila_Gavin_supports_restoration_of_Minch_Market_House/ "Author Jamila Gavin supports restoration of Minchinhampton Market House"]. Rachel Clare. ''Stroud News & Journal''. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.</ref>
<ref name=walker-alex>
<ref name=walker-alex>
[http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/ALEXANDER-THE-GREAT-MAN-MYTH-OR-MONSTER-9780744586275 "Alexander the Great: Man, Myth, or Monster?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311062917/http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/ALEXANDER-THE-GREAT-MAN-MYTH-OR-MONSTER-9780744586275 |date=11 March 2015 }} (publisher display). Walker Books. Retrieved 7 September 2013.<br> Walker describes the book as biography and history but says that it "will fascinate young readers of fact and fiction alike" and assigns the BIC Code "General fiction (Children's/YA)".</ref>
[http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/ALEXANDER-THE-GREAT-MAN-MYTH-OR-MONSTER-9780744586275 "Alexander the Great: Man, Myth, or Monster?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311062917/http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/Books/ALEXANDER-THE-GREAT-MAN-MYTH-OR-MONSTER-9780744586275 |date=11 March 2015 }} (publisher display). Walker Books. Retrieved 7 September 2013.<br> Walker describes the book as biography and history but says that it "will fascinate young readers of fact and fiction alike" and assigns the BIC Code "General fiction (Children's/YA)".</ref>
<ref name=egmont>
<ref name=egmont>
[http://www.egmont.co.uk/contributor.asp?contid=62 "Jamila Gavin – Author"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404101004/http://www.egmont.co.uk/contributor.asp?contid=62 |date=4 April 2013 }}. Egmont UK Ltd. Retrieved 7 September 2013.</ref><ref name=isfdb>
[http://www.egmont.co.uk/contributor.asp?contid=62 "Jamila Gavin – Author"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404101004/http://www.egmont.co.uk/contributor.asp?contid=62 |date=4 April 2013 }}. Egmont UK Ltd. Retrieved 7 September 2013.</ref><ref name=isfdb>
{{isfdb name|5879}}. Retrieved 8 September 2013. Select a title to see its linked publication history and general information. Select a particular edition (title) for more data at that level, such as a front cover image or linked contents.</ref>}}
{{ISFDB name|5879}}. Retrieved 8 September 2013.</ref>}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Portal|Children's literature |India |Speculative fiction}}
{{Portal|Children's literature |India |Speculative fiction}}
*{{official website |www.jamilagavin.co.uk}}
*{{Official website |https://jamilagavin.com}}
*{{british council |jamila-gavin}}
*{{British Council |jamila-gavin}}
*[http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=16220 Coram Boy] at the [[Royal National Theatre]] {{page needed|date=September 2013}}
*[http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=16220 Coram Boy] at [[Royal National Theatre]] {{page needed|date=September 2013}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070330180742/http://www.stagework.org/webdav/harmonise?Section%2F%40id=1052&Page%2F%40id=6007 Stageworks: The National Theatre's educational website for Coram Boy]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070330180742/http://www.stagework.org/webdav/harmonise?Section%2F%40id=1052&Page%2F%40id=6007 Stageworks: The National Theatre's educational website for Coram Boy]
*{{isfdb name|5879}}
*{{ISFDB name|5879}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
[[Category:English women novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century English women writers]]
[[Category:British women children's writers]]
[[Category:British women children's writers]]
[[Category:English children's writers]]
[[Category:English children's writers]]
[[Category:English historical novelists]]
[[Category:English historical novelists]]
⚫
[[Category:English women novelists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]]
⚫
[[Category:People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to England]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to England]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Mussoorie]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century English women writers]]
[[Category:Indian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Indian people of English descent]]
⚫
[[Category:People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Mussoorie]]
[[Category:Writers from London]]
[[Category:Writers from London]]

Latest revision as of 00:50, 3 May 2024

Jamila Gavin

FRSL
Born (1941-08-09) August 9, 1941 (age 82)
Mussoorie, India
OccupationAuthor
NationalityBritish
Notable worksCoram Boy (2000)
Notable awardsWhitbread Children's Book Award (2000)

Jamila Gavin FRSL (born 9 August 1941) is a British writer who is known mainly for children's books, including several with Indian contexts.

Life[edit]

Gavin was born on 9 August 1941 in Mussoorie in the United Provinces of India, in the present-day state of Uttarakhand in the Western Himalayas.[1] Her Indian father and English mother had met as teachers in Iran.[2] She learned to describe herself as "half and half".[citation needed] She says online that from her mixed background "I inherited two rich cultures which ran side by side throughout my life, and which always made me feel I belonged to both countries."[citation needed]

Gavin first visited England when she was six and settled there when she was 11.[citation needed] As an adult she worked in the music department of the BBC before becoming a writer.[citation needed] She wrote her first book, The Magic Orange Tree and Other Stories, in 1979. After her first child was born, she became aware that there were few children's books reflecting the experience of multi-racial children.[citation needed] She has also written books reflecting her childhood in India, particularly her Surya trilogy.[citation needed]

Gavin is a patron of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a charity that allows schoolchildren across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres.[3]

Gavin settled in Stroud, Gloucestershire before 1990 and was still living there in 2012.[4] In 2016, she became one of the founders of the Stroud Book Festival,[5] together with Cindy Jefferies.[6][circular reference][7]

Writer[edit]

The Surya trilogy – The Wheel of Surya (1992), The Eye of the Horse (1994) and The Track of the Wind (1997) – is a family saga that follows two generations of Indian Sikhs and shows the impact of the British Empire and the Partition of India on their lives. All three books made Guardian Children's Fiction Prize shortlists; The Wheel of Surya was special runner-up.

Coram Boy won the 2000 Whitbread Prize as Children's Book of the Year. It is set in the 18th century, being based on the Foundling Hospital established in London by sea Captain Thomas Coram. According to a local newspaper, the story "has links to Gloucestershire."[8] Coram Boy has been adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson and produced by the Royal National Theatre in 2005–2006, garnering Edmundson an Olivier Award.[9][10] It also ran on Broadway in 2007.

Three Indian Goddesses and Three Indian Princesses are collections of short stories based around Indian legends. Nine other short stories were collected as The Magic Orange Tree and Other Stories.

Grandpa Chatterji is a series for younger children, named after its first book, which was adapted for television in 1997.[11] Other books in the series are Grandpa Chatterji's Third Eye and Grandpa's Indian Summer. The first book made the Smarties Prize shortlist for reader ages 6–8.[2]

Jamila Gavin has also written The Robber Baron's Daughter, Forbidden Memories, I Want to be An Angel, Kamla and Kate, Someone's Watching, Someone's Waiting, The Hideaway and The Wormholers.

Awards and honours[edit]

Gavin became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2015.[12]

Awards for Gavin's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
1992 The Wheel of Surya Guardian Children's Fiction Prize Shortlist [1]
1994 The Eye of the Horse Guardian Children's Fiction Prize Shortlist [1]
1997 The Track of the Wind Guardian Children's Fiction Prize Shortlist [1]
2000 Coram Boy Whitbread Children's Book Award Winner [13]
2001 The God at the Gate Richard Imison Memorial Award Shortlist [1][14]
2014 Blackberry Blue Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature Finalist [15]

Publications[edit]

  • The Magic Orange Tree and other stories (1979)
  • Three Indian Princesses (1987)
  • The Singing Bowls (1989)
  • See No Evil (2008)
  • Grandpa Chatterji (1993)
  • Surya trilogy
    • The Wheel of Surya (Methuen, 1992)
    • The Eye of the Horse (Methuen, 1994)
    • The Track of the Wind (Mammoth, 1997)
  • Grandpa's Indian Summer (1995)
  • The Wormholers (1996)[16]
  • The Girl Who Rode on a Lion
  • The Temple by the Sea
  • The Lake of Stars
  • Our Favorite Stories (1997)
  • The Monkey in the Stars, self-adapted as a play for children, Monkeys in the Stars (2001)
  • Coram Boy (2000)
  • Grandpa Chatterji's Third Eye (2006)
  • Fine Feathered Friend (1996)
  • Three Indian Goddesses (2001)
  • Star Child on Clark Street
  • Danger By Moonlight (2002)
  • Out of India: Walking on My Hands
  • Out of India: An Anglo Indian Childhood (1997)
  • The Whistling Monster
  • Celebration Stories, Coming Home
  • An Interview With Jamila Gavin
  • From Out of the Shadows
  • The Blood Stone (2003)
  • The Robber Baron's Daughter
  • Deadly Friend (1994)
  • I Want to be An Angel (1990)
  • Forbidden Memories
  • Kamla and Kate (1983)
  • Kamla and Kate Again
  • Someone's Watching, Someone's Waiting
  • The Hideaway (1987)
  • Double Dare
  • Storyworlds (Heinemann, 1996), illustrated by Rhian Nest James
    • Grandma's Surprise
    • The Mango Tree
    • Presents
    • Who Did It?
  • Digital Dan
  • Ali and the Robots (1986)[16]
  • Stories From the Hindu World (1986)
  • The Bow of Shiva
  • The Turning Point
  • Alexander the Greatest (Walker, 2009), illustrated by Sumito Sakakibara
  • Fox
  • Derka Derb
  • Alexander the Great: Man, Myth, or Monster? (Walker, 2012), illustrated by David Parkins[4]
  • The Paradise Carpet

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Jamila Gavin – Literature". British Council. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Jamila Gavin – Author" Archived 4 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Egmont UK Ltd. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Shakespeare Schools Foundation Patrons". Shakespeare Schools Foundation. Shakespeare Schools Foundation. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Alexander the Great: Man, Myth, or Monster?" Archived 11 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine (publisher display). Walker Books. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
    Walker describes the book as biography and history but says that it "will fascinate young readers of fact and fiction alike" and assigns the BIC Code "General fiction (Children's/YA)".
  5. ^ "Word". Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  6. ^ Cindy Jefferies
  7. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Author Jamila Gavin supports restoration of Minchinhampton Market House" Archived 6 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Rachel Clare. Stroud News & Journal. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  9. ^ "South Bank: 2003–2012" Archived 22 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine The History of the National Theatre. National Theatre. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Olivier Winners 2006". Olivier Awards. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Video". Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Royal Society of Literature » Current RSL Fellows". rsliterature.org. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "Scriptwriters Group – The Society of Authors". societyofauthors.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Finalists Announced for Prestigious NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature". The Neustadt Prize. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  16. ^ a b Jamila Gavin at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 8 September 2013.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jamila_Gavin&oldid=1221957165"