Nicola Barker (born 30 March 1966) is an English

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

and short story writer. She was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. When she was still young her parents left England and settled in South Africa.

Fiction

Typically she writes about damaged or eccentric people in mundane situations, and has a fondness for bleak, isolated settings. ''Wide Open'' and ''Behindlings'' are set respectively on the

Isle of Sheppey The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England, neighbouring the Thames Estuary, centred from central London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale. ''Sheppey'' is derive ...

and

Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office for National Statistics. ( ...

. Together with ''Darkmans'' (2007) they form an informal trilogy based around the

Thames Gateway Thames Gateway is a term applied to an area around the Thames Estuary in the context of discourse around regeneration and further urbanisation. The term was first coined by the UK government and applies to an area of land stretching east from ...

. ''Darkmans'' won the 2008

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, who was born at Hawthornden Castle. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature", which can be written ...

. Patrick Ness's review in ''

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 ...

'' described the book as "phenomenally good" despite it being a "838-page epic with little describable plot, taking place over just a few days and set in... Ashford" Her 2004 novel, ''Clear'', is set in London during

David Blaine David Blaine (born April 4, 1973) is an American illusionist, endurance artist, and extreme performer. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance and has set and broken several world records. Early life Blaine was born and r ...

's ''Above the Below'' 44-day fast 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 ...

in 2003.

Awards and honours

*1993: PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award co-winner for ''Love Your Enemies'' *1993:

David Higham Prize for Fiction The David Higham Prize for Fiction was inaugurated in 1975 to mark the 80th birthday of David Higham, literary agent, and was awarded annually to a citizen of the Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland, Pakistan, or South Africa for a first novel or boo ...

winner for ''Love Your Enemies'' *1996:

John Llewellyn Rhys prize The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize was a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama) by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom ...

winner for ''Heading Inland'' *2000:

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

winner for ''Wide Open'' *2004: Man Booker Prize longlist for ''Clear: A Transparent Novel'' *2007: Man Booker Prize shortlist for ''Darkmans'' *2012: Man Booker Prize longlist for ''The Yips'' *2017:

Goldsmiths Prize The Goldsmiths Prize is a British literary award, founded in 2013 by Goldsmiths, University of London, in association with the ''New Statesman.'' It is awarded annually to a piece of fiction that "breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of ...

winner for ''H(a)ppy''

Publications

Novels

* ''Reversed Forecast'' (1994) * ''Small Holdings'' (1995) * '' Wide Open'' (1998) * ''Five Miles from Outer Hope'' (2000) * ''Behindlings'' (2002) * ''Clear: A Transparent Novel'' (2004) * '' Darkmans'' (2007) * ''Burley Cross Postbox Theft'' (2010)"The Hot List 2010"
''The Observer'', 27 December 2009. * ''The Yips'' (2012) * ''In the Approaches'' (2014) * ''The Cauliflower'' (2016) * ''H(a)ppy'' (2017) * ''I Am Sovereign'' (2019) * ''Elmwood'' (tbc)

Collections of stories

* ''Love Your Enemies'' (1993) * ''Heading Inland'' (1996) * ''The Three Button Trick: Selected Stories'' (2001)

Short stories

* ''The Free Hand'' (1998) * ''By Force of Will, Alone'' (2009)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Nicola 1966 births English women novelists Living people John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winners People from Ely, Cambridgeshire 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers 21st-century English women writers Goldsmiths Prize winners Magic realism writers