Derek Beaven (born 1947) is a British novelist. His

first 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 pu ...

, ''Newton's Niece'', won the

Commonwealth Writers Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...

for best first book, Europe and South Asia. His second book, ''Acts of Mutiny'' was shortlisted for the

Guardian Fiction Prize The Guardian Fiction Prize was a literary award sponsored by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. Founded in 1965, it recognized one fiction book per year written by a British or Commonwealth writer and published in the United Kingdom. The award ran for 33 ...

and 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 ...

. Beaven was born in

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

. He studied at

Ashlyns School Ashlyns School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England. The school was established in 1935 as the final location of the Foundling Hospital, a children's charity founded in London in 1739. The ...

, Hertfordshire. He read English at Oxford University. He lives in

Maidenhead, Berkshire Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

, England.Derek Beaven
HarperCollins. Retrieved 10 August 2011.

Works

*''Newton′s Niece'', Faber and Faber, 1994, *''Acts of Mutiny'', Fourth Estate, 1998, *''If the Invader Comes'', Fourth Estate, 2001, *''His Coldest Winter'', Fourth Estate, 2005; HarperCollins, 2006,

Reviews

* * * *
"''Acts of Muniny''"
''The New York Times'', Mark Schone, 19 March 2000

References

1947 births Novelists from London 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists Alumni of the University of Oxford Living people British male novelists 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English male writers {{UK-novelist-stub