Talitha Stevenson (born 1977) is an author and journalist, who grew up in

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North London ...

Fiction writer

Stevenson is the author of three novels. Her work has been compared to

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan, (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of th ...

and

Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel ''The Corrections'', a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Pr ...

. Her first novel ''An Empty Room'', a coming of age tale set in West London, was nominated for a number of awards. Stevenson's second novel ''Exposure'', the tale of a lawyer with a hidden past, received very strong notices. The

Literary Review ''Literary Review'' is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh. Its offices are on Lexington Street in Soho. The magazine was edited for fourteen years by v ...

concluded: "Stevenson has, essentially, got it". A reviewer 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 ...

wrote: "Stevenson is an exceptionally talented writer".

The Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

called it a "triumphant read... What Stevenson describes with gobsmacking accuracy is our primal fear that life will unceremoniously unravel." In

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

, the novel was described as "accomplished", its scope as "ambitious".

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

described her as "a writer of precocious talent". The American novelist

Jay McInerney John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. (; born January 13, 1955) is an American novelist, screenwriter, editor, and columnist. His novels include '' Bright Lights, Big City'', ''Ransom'', '' Story of My Life'', ''Brightness Falls'', and ''The Last of ...

saluted "an incredible talent" who "writes like a very old soul, with an exquisitely-tuned sensitivity to sin, guilt and sexual obsession". The book was published by Harcourt in the US and received strong reviews. Stevenson's third and most recent novel, ''Disappear'', was published in March 2010. It was the paperback of the week in

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

and

, and was praised by

Gregory David Roberts Gregory David Roberts (born Gregory John Peter Smith; 1952) is an Australian author best known for his novel '' Shantaram''. He is a former heroin addict and convicted bank robber who escaped from Pentridge Prison in 1980 and fled to India, wh ...

and

Christos Tsiolkas Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is especially known for '' The Slap'', which was both well-received critically and highly successful commercially. Several of his books have been adapted for film and t ...

. In an interview with the American book blog ''booklush'', Stevenson explained that she was writing an "intricate" new novel that deals with "painting and the contemporary art world".

Journalism

Stevenson writes for the Financial Times and other newspapers, contributing features and book reviews on literature, social history, celebrity, psychiatry, and other subjects.

Bibliography

*''An Empty Room'' (2003) *''Exposure'' (2005) *''Disappear'' (2010)

Awards and Prizes

*2003 Whitbread First Novel Award (shortlisted) ''An Empty Room'' *2003 Commonwealth Writers Prize - Eurasia Region (shortlisted) ''An Empty Room'' *2003

Pendleton May First Novel Award The Guildford Arts Book Prize has been awarded annually for the best first novel by an author living anywhere in the UK, and announced at the Guildford Book Festival. Between 1998 and 2005 it was sponsored by Pendleton May and known as the Pendlet ...

(shortlisted) ''An Empty Room'' *2006

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

(nominee) ''Exposure''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Talitha 21st-century English novelists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)