David Almond (born 15 May 1951) is a British author who has written many novels for

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

and

young adults A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

from 1998, each one receiving critical acclaim. He is one of thirty children's writers, and one of three from the UK, to win the biennial, international

Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...

. For the 70th anniversary of the British Carnegie Medal in 2007, his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

Skellig ''Skellig'' is a children's novel by the British author David Almond, published by Hodder in 1998. It was the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year and it won the Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's outstandi ...

'' (1998) was named one of the top ten Medal-winning works, selected by a panel to compose the ballot for a public election of the all-time favourite. It ranked third in the public vote from that shortlist.

Early life and education

Almond was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

in 1951 and raised in neighbouring

Felling Felling is the process of cutting down trees,"Feller" def. 2. and "Felling", def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009 an element of the task of logging. The person cutting the tree ...

. His father was an office manager in an engineering factory and his mother a shorthand typist. He was raised Catholic at St Joseph's Catholic Academy and had four sisters and one brother. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a writer and "wrote stories and stitched them into little books." He describes his childhood as one with "much joy" but also "much sadness," losing his younger sister and father at a young age. He was educated at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

and

Newcastle Polytechnic , mottoeng = A lifetime of learning , established = 1877 - Rutherford College of Technology1969 - Newcastle Polytechnic1992 - gained university status , type = Public , budget = � ...

. After graduating, Almond worked as a teacher for five years; he then moved to an artists' commune in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

and concentrated on his writing. He returned to

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

and worked as a part-time special-needs teacher while editing the literary journal ''Panurge''.

Career

Almond published his first collection of stories in 1985, ''Sleepless Nights.'' His second collection, ''A Kind of Heaven'', appeared in 1987. He then wrote a series of stories which drew on his own childhood, and which would eventually be published as ''

Counting Stars "Counting Stars" is a song by American pop rock band OneRepublic from their third studio album, ''Native'' (2013). The song was written by lead singer Ryan Tedder, and produced by Tedder and Noel Zancanella. It was released as the album's seco ...

'', published by Hodder in 2000. In the next seven years, four more novels by Almond made the Carnegie Medal shortlist of five to eight books. Since ''Skellig'' his novels, stories, and plays have also brought international success and widespread critical acclaim. They are '' Kit's Wilderness'' (1999), '' Heaven Eyes'' (2000), '' Secret Heart'' (2001), '' The Fire Eaters'' (2003), ''

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

'' (2005), '' Jackdaw Summer'' (2008), and '' My Name is Mina'' (2010), a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...

to ''Skellig''. He collaborates with leading artists and illustrators, including

Polly Dunbar Polly Dunbar (born 1977) is an English author-illustrator. She is best known for her self-illustrated books ''Penguin'', the ''Tilly and Friends'' series (which became a BBC children's television series) and ''Hello, Mum'' – an illustrated mem ...

(''

My Dad's a Birdman ''My Dad's a Birdman'' is a 2007 children's Illustrated fiction, illustrated novel by David Almond. It is about a girl, Lizzie, who finds herself looking after her dad, Jackie, after the death of her mother, and his dreams of competing in "The Gr ...

'' and ''

The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon ''The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon'' is a 2010 children's novel by David Almond, illustrated by Polly Dunbar. It is about a boy, Paul, who wants to touch the sky; he climbs a ladder to the Moon and goes inside. Reception A '' Booktrust'' revie ...

''); Stephen Lambert (''

Kate, the Cat and the Moon ''Kate, the Cat and the Moon'' is a 2004 Children's picture book by David Almond and Stephen Lambert. It is about a girl, Kate, and her nighttime adventures with a feline companion when she transforms into a cat. Reception In a review of ''Kate ...

'';) and

Dave McKean David McKean (born 29 December 1963) is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician. His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art, and sculpt ...

(''The Savage'', ''Slog's Dad'' and the forthcoming ''

Mouse Bird Snake Wolf ''Mouse Bird Snake Wolf'' is a 2013 graphic novel, written by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean, David McKean. It is about three children who create animals from inanimate objects. Reception A ''The Guardian, Guardian'' reviewer describe ...

''). His plays include ''Wild Girl, Wild Boy'', ''My Dad's a Birdman'', ''Noah & the Fludd'' and the stage adaptations of ''Skellig'' and ''Heaven Eyes''. Almond's novel '' The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean'' (2011) was published in two editions: Adult (Penguin Viking); and Young Adult (Puffin). 2012 publications include '' The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas'' (illustrated by

Oliver Jeffers Oliver Brendan Jeffers (born 1977) is a Northern Irish artist, illustrator and writer who now lives and works in Brooklyn. He went to the integrated secondary school Hazelwood College, then graduated from the University of Ulster in 2001. ...

). In 2013, ''Mouse Bird Snake Wolf'' (illustrated by Dave McKean) was published. His works are highly

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and thus appeal to children and adults alike. Recurring themes throughout include the complex relationships between apparent opposites (such as life and death, reality and fiction, past and future); forms of education; growing up and adapting to change; the nature of the "

self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhood ...

". He won the

for his writing, which biennially recognises the "lasting contribution" of one living author. (He had been one of five finalists in 2008.) The jury president, Ms Zohreh Ghaeni from Iran, observed that Almond "writes about children in crisis, while continuously giving hope to them", and cited in particular his first two novels, ''Skellig'' and ''Kit's Wilderness''. She called "

bibliotherapy Bibliotherapy (also referred to as book therapy, reading therapy, poetry therapy or therapeutic storytelling) is a creative arts therapy that involves storytelling or the reading of specific texts. It uses an individual's relationship to the co ...

" such as she attributed to Almond "a vital activity for all children around the world." When it named him a finalist months before, the international jury cited his "deeply

philosophical novels Philosophical fiction refers to the class of works of fiction which devote a significant portion of their content to the sort of questions normally addressed in philosophy. These might explore any facet of the human condition, including the funct ...

that appeal to children and adults alike, and encourage readers by his use of magic realism". For his body of work Almond was also a British nominee for the

Astrid Lindgren Award The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award ( sv, Litteraturpriset till Astrid Lindgrens minne) is an international children's literary award established by the Swedish government in 2002 to honour the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren (1907– ...

at the same time. He is Professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University.

Honours and awards

Almond's major awards include the

, Carnegie Medal (''Skellig''); two

Whitbread Awards The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

; the U.S.

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's y ...

for young-adult books (''Kit's Wilderness''); the

Smarties Prize Smarties are colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé. Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of abo ...

, ages 9–11 years (''The Fire-Eaters''); the U.S.

Boston Globe–Horn Book Award The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards are a set of American literary awards conferred by ''The Boston Globe'' and ''The Horn Book Magazine'' annually from 1967. One book is recognized in each of four categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonfiction, and P ...

, Children's Fiction (''The Fire-Eaters''); the

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...

(''A Song for Ella Grey''); Le Prix Sorcieres (France); the Katholischer Kinder-und Jugendbuchpreis (Germany); and a Silver Pencil and three Silver Kisses (Netherlands). The ''Skellig'' prequel ''My Name is Mina'' (Hodder, 2010) was a finalist for three major annual awards: the

,"Guardian children's fiction prize: the shortlist"
Julia Eccleshare. ''The Guardian'' 30 September 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2012. the Carnegie Medal, and the (German)

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...

. Almond was awarded the International

Nonino Nonino is a small Italian company that is a producer of grappa. Nonino is also the name of the family that owns and runs the brand Nonino Grappa. The first Nonino distillery was founded by Orazio Nonino in Ronchi di Percoto, in the Friuli region i ...

Prize for 2022. Almond was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to literature.

Works

* ''Sleepless Nights'' (

Cullercoats Cullercoats is a coastal settlement in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, North East England. Historically in Northumberland, it has now been absorbed into the wider Tyneside conurbation, sitting between Tynemouth to the ...

, Tyne and Wear: Iron Press, 1985), collection * ''A Kind of Heaven'' (Iron Press, 1997), collection * ''

'' (

Hodder Children's Books Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publis ...

, 1998) * '' Kit's Wilderness'' (Hodder, 1999) * ''

'' (Hodder, 2000), collection * '' Heaven Eyes'' (Hodder, 2000) * '' Secret Heart'' (Hodder, 2001) * ''Where Your Wings Were'' (Hodder, March 2002), collection – World Book Day selection from ''Counting Stars'', * '' The Fire Eaters'' (Hodder, 2003) * ''

'' (Hodder, 2005) * ''

'', illus.

(

Walker Books Walker Books is a British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker, Amelia Edwards, and Wendy Boase. In 1991, the success of Walker Books' ''Where's Wally?'' series enabled the company to expand into the American ma ...

, 2007) * '' Jackdaw Summer'' (Hodder, 2008); US title, ''Raven Summer'' * ''

'', illus. Dunbar (Walker, 2010) * '' My Name is Mina'' (Hodder, 2010) – prequel to ''Skellig'' * '' The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean'' (Penguin, 2011) * '' The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas'', illus.

(Walker, 2012) * ''

'', illus.

(Walker, 2013) * ''

A Song for Ella Grey ''A Song for Ella Grey'' is a 2014 young adult novel, written by David Almond and illustrated by Karen Radford. It is based on the legend, Orpheus and Eurydice. Reception ''Publishers Weekly'', in a starred review of ''A Song for Ella Grey'', wr ...

'' (Hodder, 2014) * '' The Tightrope Walkers'' (Penguin, 2014) * '' The Tale of Angelino Brown'' (Walker Books, 2017) * '' The Colour of the Sun'' (Hodder, 2018) * '' War Is Over'', illus. David Litchfield (Hodder, 2018) * '' Brand New Boy'', (Walker Books, 2020) * '' Annie Lumsden, the Girl from the Sea'', illus. Beatrice Alemagna (Candlewick Press, 2021) ;Picture books and graphic novels * ''

'', illus. Stephen Lambert (2004) * '' The Savage'', illus. McKean (2008) * '' Slog's Dad'', illus. McKean (2009) * '' The Dam'', illus. Levi Pinfold (2018) * '' The Woman Who Turned Children Into Birds'', illus. Laura Carlin (Walker Books, 2022) ;Plays * ''Wild Girl, Wild Boy'' (2002) * ''My Dad's a Birdman'' * ''Noah & the Fludd'' * ''Skellig'' (2002), adaptation of his novel * ''Heaven Eyes'', adaptation of his novel

Personal life

Almond now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. He has a daughter, Freya.

Notes

References

External links

*
David Almond
at

* * *
Interview with David Almond
at BBC Blast
"Caedmon, the Oldest Surviving English Poet"
(audio), David Almond on

Cædmon Cædmon (; ''fl. c.'' 657 – 684) is the earliest English poet whose name is known. A Northumbrian cowherd who cared for the animals at the double monastery of Streonæshalch (now known as Whitby Abbey) during the abbacy of St. Hilda, he wa ...

, BBC Radio 3 ''Anglo-Saxon Portraits'', broadcast 23 January 2013 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Almond, David 1951 births Living people Alumni of the University of East Anglia Academics of Bath Spa University English children's writers Carnegie Medal in Literature winners Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing winners Michael L. Printz Award winners Costa Book Award winners Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Writers from Newcastle upon Tyne People from Felling Writers from Tyne and Wear Officers of the Order of the British Empire Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winners