Charles Boyle (born 1955 in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

) is a British

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

. He also uses the pseudonyms Jack Robinson and Jennie Walker. As Walker, he won the 2008 McKitterick Prize for his novella ''

24 for 3 ''24 for 3'' is a 2007 novella by Jennie Walker (a pen name of English poet Charles Boyle); it won the 2008 McKitterick Prize. (awarded to authors over 40 for their first novel) and was selected by Karl Miller of the ''Times Literary Supplem ...

''. In 2012, Boyle wrote a short piece for ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'' in which he good-naturedly referred to vandalism of this Wikipedia biography.

Biography

Boyle read English at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

, taught in a

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

comprehensive school and in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and worked in publishing, including for several years at Faber and Faber. In 1980 he married painter

Madeleine Strindberg Madeleine Strindberg (born 1955) is a German-born painter, winner of the 1998 Jerwood Painting Prize. Education Strindberg graduated from the Byam Shaw School of Art and Royal College of Art in 1985 with a master's degree in painting. Work Stri ...

. He is well known for his 2001 book of poems ''The Age of Cardboard and String'', which had favourable reviews from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' ("The voice is quite beguiling: completely unpretentious yet still resonant and lyrical; linguistically precise and emotionally evasive, often at the same time. We like that.") and ''Magma Poetry'' ("

My Alibi' My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Market ...

is an exquisite distillation of much of what Boyle has to say". In 2007, as a result of his difficulty in getting ''24 for 3'' published, he established CB editions, a small press dedicated to novellas, translations, and writing in other genres often neglected by mainstream publishers. Titles published by CB editions have won awards including the McKitterick Prize, the Scott Moncrieff Translation Prize, the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize, and the

Republic of Consciousness Prize The Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses is an annual British literary prize founded by the author Neil Griffiths. It rewards fiction published by UK and Irish small presses, defined as those with fewer than five full-time employees ...

, as well as being shortlisted for the

Goldsmiths Prize The Goldsmiths Prize is a British literary award, founded in 2013 by Goldsmiths, University of London, in association with the ''New Statesman.'' It is awarded annually to a piece of fiction that "breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of ...

, the

Guardian First Book Award The Guardian First Book Award was a literary award presented by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. It annually recognised one book by a new writer. It was established in 1999, replacing the Guardian Fiction Award or Guardian Fiction Prize that the newspap ...

, and

Forward Prizes for Poetry The Forward Prizes for Poetry are major British awards for poetry, presented annually at a public ceremony in London. They were founded in 1992 by William Sieghart with the aim of celebrating excellence in poetry and increasing its audience. The ...

. Boyle's ''An Overcoat: Scenes from the Afterlife of H.B.'' (2016), written under the pseudonym "Jack Robinson", was featured in ''The Guardian''s "Nicholas Lezard's choice" column in April 2017, with Lezard concluding: "I can't think of a wittier, more engaging, stylistically audacious, attentive and generous writer working in the English language right now".

Awards

*1981

Cholmondeley Award The Cholmondeley Awards () are annual awards for poetry given by the Society of Authors in the United Kingdom. Awards honour distinguished poets, from a fund endowed by the Dowager Marchioness of Cholmondeley in 1966. Since 1991 the award has be ...

*1996

Forward Prize The Forward Prizes for Poetry are major British awards for poetry, presented annually at a public ceremony in London. They were founded in 1992 by William Sieghart with the aim of celebrating excellence in poetry and increasing its audience. The ...

shortlist for ''Paleface'' *2001 T. S. Eliot Prize shortlist for ''The Age of Cardboard and String'' *2001 Whitbread Awards shortlist for ''The Age of Cardboard and String'' *2008 McKitterick Prize for ''

'' (as Jennie Walker)

Works

* * * *

As Jennie Walker

As Jack Robinson

* * *

References

External links

Boyle's Blog – Sonofabook

CBe Editions

Charles Boyle interviewed by James Tookey in ''3:AM Magazine''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Charles 1951 births British poets Living people 21st-century pseudonymous writers British male poets