Joan Brady (born 4 December 1939 in San Francisco) is an American-British writer. She is the first woman and American to win the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for her novel ''

Theory of War The philosophy of war is the area of philosophy devoted to examining issues such as the causes of war, the relationship between war and human nature, and the ethics of war. Certain aspects of the philosophy of war overlap with the philosophy of h ...

''.

Biography

Personal life

Born Joan Brady on 4 December 1939 in San Francisco to Mildred Edie Brady and Robert A. Brady. She has one sister, Judy. Before becoming an author, she was a dancer with the

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Franc ...

and the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

then went on to study philosophy at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York City. In 1963, she married author Dexter Masters, her mother's former secret lover. In 1965 they moved to England, and together had a son,

Alexander Masters Alexander Wright Masters is an English author, screenwriter, and worker with the homeless. He lives in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Masters is the son of authors Dexter Masters and Joan Brady. He was educated at Bedales School, and took a first ...

, who authored '' Stuart: A Life Backwards''. Her husband died in 1989, and she currently lives in Oxford, England.

Works

Her first published book was ''The Impostor'' in 1979. In 1982, she published her autobiography, that appears under both the titles ''The Unmaking of a Dancer'' and ''Prologue: An Unconventional Life'. Her third book and second novel, ''

'', was hailed as a "modern work of genius" and earned the Whitbread Novel of the Year award, as well as the

Whitbread Book of the Year 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 ...

award. This book also won the French

Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger The Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book Prize) is a French literary prize created in 1948. It is awarded yearly in two categories: Novel and Essay for books translated into French. Prix du Meilleur livre étranger — Novel *2020: ...

and a US National Endowment for the Arts grant. Two novels followed, ''Death Comes for Peter Pan'', an exposé of medical abuse in America, and ''The Emigre'', the adventures of a conman. ''Bleedout'' is her first

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

. She started writing crime fiction during a legal battle over fumes from a nearby shoemaker from which she won a large settlement. ''Bleedout'' takes place against a backdrop of political and corporate corruption and follows two men, one a murderer, another his mentor in the process of being murdered as the action progresses. Its sequel ''Venom'', published in 2010, introduces the theme of pharmaceutical ruthlessness in pursuit of a cure for radiation poisoning.

Bibliography

*''The Impostor'' (1979) *''The Unmaking of a Dancer'' (1982) aka Prologue: An Unconventional Life (in UK) *''

'' (1993) *''Death Comes For Peter Pan'' (1996) *''The Emigré'' (1999) *''Bleedout'' (2005) *''Venom'' (2010) *''The Blue Death'' (2012) *''America’s Dreyfus: The Case Nixon Rigged'' (2015)

References

External links

*
Guardian InterviewArticle in the TimesShots magazine interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brady, Joan 1939 births Living people Costa Book Award winners Writers from San Francisco Columbia University alumni 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century British novelists 21st-century British novelists American women novelists British women novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers