Laurence Daren King (born 1972 in

Harlow, Essex Harlow is a large town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire and London, Harlow occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upper ...

) is an English novelist and children's writer. His debut novel, ''

Boxy an Star ''Boxy an Star'' is the first novel by English author Daren King. It was shortlisted for the 1999 Guardian First Book Award and longlisted for the Booker Prize. The book is notable for its unusual futuristic vernacular style, reminiscent of works ...

'', made the shortlist for the Guardian First Book Award and the ten finalists for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

in 1999. He won the

Nestlé Children's Book Prize Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...

gold medal in the 6 to 8-year-old readers category for ''

Mouse Noses on Toast ''Mouse Noses on Toast'' is a children's book written by Daren King and illustrated by David Roberts, published in 2006. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award.

'' in 2006.

Biography

Daren King was born in

in 1972. He left school with one

O-level The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...

, but later graduated from a creative writing course at

Bath Spa University College Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshire. The institu ...

Works

Whilst studying in Bath, King wrote his first novel,

, which was then published by Abacus in 1999. The book was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and longlisted for the Booker Prize. The same year he contributed to a book of erotica published by

Zadie Smith Zadie Smith FRSL (born Sadie; 25 October 1975) is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, ''White Teeth'' (2000), immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She has been a tenured professor ...

when she was writer in residence at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...

. By virtue of contributing a short story to the anthology ''All Hail the New Puritans'' in 2000, King became part of the

New Puritans The New Puritans was a literary movement ascribed to the contributors to a 2000 anthology of short stories entitled ''All Hail the New Puritans'', edited by Nicholas Blincoe and Matt Thorne. The project is said to have been inspired by the Dogme 9 ...

, a short-lived literary movement. The editors of the anthology,

Nicholas Blincoe Nicholas Blincoe is an English author, critic and screenwriter. He is the author of six novels: ''Acid Casuals'' (1995), ''Jello Salad'' (1997), ''Manchester Slingback'' (1998), ''The Dope Priest'' (1999), ''White Mice'' (2002), and ''Burning P ...

and

Matt Thorne Matthew "Matt" Thorne (born 1974) is an English novelist, writer, and journalist. Life and career Thorne grew up in Bristol, England, and was educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. Thorne's first book, ''Tourist'', was published in 19 ...

, appear in his novel ''Jim Giraffe'' as the characters Mr Bingo and Ape Hands. In 2006, King published his first children's book ''

Mouse Noses on Toast ''Mouse Noses on Toast'' is a children's book written by Daren King and illustrated by David Roberts, published in 2006. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award.

.'' It was illustrated by

David Roberts David or Dave Roberts may refer to: Arts and literature * David Roberts (painter) (1796–1864), Scottish painter * David Roberts (art collector), Scottish contemporary art collector * David Roberts (novelist), English editor and mystery writer ...

. The two have since collaborated on more books.

Selected publications

Adult fiction

* ''

'' (Abacus, 1999) * ''Jim Giraffe''

Vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

, 2005) * ''Tom Boler'' (Vintage, 2005) * ''Manual'' (

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...

, 2008)

Children's fiction

* ''

Mouse Noses on Toast ''Mouse Noses on Toast'' is a children's book written by Daren King and illustrated by David Roberts, published in 2006. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award.

'', illustrated by

(Faber, 2006) * ''Sensible Hare and the Case of Carrots'', illus. Roberts (Faber, 2007) * ''Peter the Penguin Pioneer'', illus. Roberts (

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

, 2009) * ''Frightfully Friendly Ghosties'', illus. Roberts (Quercus, 2010 to 2012) – series of four novellas"Frightfully Friendly Ghosties – Series Bibliography"

ISFDB The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...

. Retrieved 2015-04-14.

Adult cartoon

* '' Smally the Mouse: Smally's Party'' (

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, 2005)

Other

* Contributor to '' All Hail the New Puritans'', an anthology of stories edited by

and

( Fourth Estate, 2000)

References

External links

*
Interview with 3:AM Magazine

Review of ''Manual''
in ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Daren 1972 births 21st-century English novelists English children's writers Alumni of Bath Spa University Living people Date of birth missing (living people)