David L. Flusfeder (born 1960) is an American-born British author, journalist, playwright, and screenwriter.

Early life

Flusfeder was born in Summit, New Jersey to Joe Flusfeder, a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

, and a mother from the East End of London. Born in Warsaw, Joe Flusfeder lived through the early months of the 1939 German occupation of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. He later spent sixteen months as a prisoner of war, performing

slave labour Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in Siberia from 1940 to 1941. Afterwards, he fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino. When David was six, his parents separated and he and his sister went to live with their mother in London. Joe remarried, and died in 2008, aged eighty-six. Two years later, David would write a column for ''

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 ...

'' in remembrance of his father. In the article, he recounts the sudden inspiration for and writing of the novel ''A Film by Spencer Ludwig'', suggesting its deeply autobiographical nature, as it follows a son's visits to a father with whom he has a complex relationship.

Personal life

He was educated at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

, where in 1983 he earned his

B. A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

, and 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 ...

, from which he received his

M. A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in creative writing in 1988. He is currently the director of creative writing at the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

, and has taught the subject at the universities of East Anglia, Brunel, and East London, as well as at

Pentonville Prison HM Prison Pentonville (informally "The Ville") is an English Category B men's prison, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Pentonville Prison is not in Pentonville, but is located further north, on the Caledonian Road in the Barnsbury ar ...

. He lives in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

with his wife and two children.

Other work

In 2011, Flusfeder became chairman of the Rules Committee of the International Federation of Poker (IFP), from which he resigned in 2013. He has been a poker columnist for ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...

'', as well as a television critic for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

''. He is working on an opera, ''Army of Lovers'', with British pianist and composer Mark Springer.

Bibliography

*''John the Pupil'' (2014) *''A Film by Spencer Ludwig'' (2010) *''The Pagan House'' (2007) *''The Gift'' (2003) *''Morocco'' (2000) *''Like Plastic'' (1996), winner of the

Encore Award The £10,000 Encore Award for the best second novel was first awarded in 1990. It is sponsored by Lucy Astor. The award fills a niche in the catalogue of literary prizes by celebrating the achievement of outstanding second novels, often neglecte ...

*''Man Kills Woman'' (1993)

External links

Times Literary Supplement review of The Pagan House

http://www.davidflusfeder.co.uk/

Articles by David Flusfeder on the 5th Estate blog

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flusfeder, David 1960 births Living people Alumni of the University of Sussex Alumni of the University of East Anglia American thriller writers American historical novelists 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers