Jessica Gregson (born 24 June 1978) is a British author.

Publications

Gregson's

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 ...

'' The Angel Makers'' was published in 2007 by PaperBooks. It is based on the true story of

The Angel Makers of Nagyrév ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, two Hungarian women who sold

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...

to unhappily married women to kill their husbands. Her second novel,''The Ice Cream Army'', was published by

Legend Press Legend Press is an independent British book publisher founded in 2005 by Tom Chalmers, specialising in original fiction, crime thrillers, and a Legend Classics series. In 2011, they were shortlisted for the Independent Publisher of the Year and ...

in July 2009. It is based on the true story of the

Battle of Broken Hill The Battle of Broken Hill was a fatal incident which took place in Australia near Broken Hill, New South Wales, on 1 January 1915. Two men shot dead four people and wounded seven more, before being killed by police and military officers. Thou ...

, where, in 1915, two men who had immigrated to Australia declared war on the country and attacked a train, killing two of the passengers. The novel is a fictionalised exploration of the racism and prejudice faced by two immigrants in a small town in rural Australia, and the events that led them to take the action that they did. Gregson's most recent novel, ''After Silence'', was published by Deixis Press in August 2022. Set during the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of L ...

, the story focuses on a remarkable group of musicians, both soldiers and civilians, who come together to perform Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony.

Personal life

Gregson is the daughter of actor Michael Craig and has lived in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

. She worked with refugees in the latter countries, and is now a humanitarian education specialist. She lives in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. She wrote ''The Angel Makers'' while working for the Home Office. Gregson has a degree in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

from

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. She also holds a master's degree in Development Studies from the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

and a master's degree in Education from the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregson, Jessica Alumni of the London School of Economics Living people 1978 births Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Glasgow Writers from Glasgow