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Alex Alphonso Wheatle
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
(born 3 January 1963) is a British novelist, who was
sentenced to a term of imprisonment after the
1981 Brixton riot
The 1981 Brixton riot, or Brixton uprising, was a series of clashes between mainly black youths and the Metropolitan Police in Brixton, London, between 10 and 12 April 1981.J. A. Cloake & M. R. Tudor. ''Multicultural Britain''. Oxford Unive ...
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 ...
.
[
]
Biography
Born in 1963 in London to Jamaican parents, Wheatle spent much of his childhood in a
Shirley Oaks Children's Home. At the age of 16, he was a founding member of the Crucial Rocker sound system; his
DJ name was Yardman Irie. He wrote lyrics about everyday life in
Brixton, south London. By 1980, Wheatle was living in a
social services hostel in Brixton, and he participated in the
1981 Brixton riot
The 1981 Brixton riot, or Brixton uprising, was a series of clashes between mainly black youths and the Metropolitan Police in Brixton, London, between 10 and 12 April 1981.J. A. Cloake & M. R. Tudor. ''Multicultural Britain''. Oxford Unive ...
s and their aftermath. While serving his resulting sentence, he read authors such as
Chester Himes
Chester Bomar Himes (July 29, 1909 – November 12, 1984) was an American writer. His works, some of which have been filmed, include '' If He Hollers Let Him Go'', published in 1945, and the Harlem Detective series of novels for which he is be ...
,
Richard Wright,
C. L. R. James
Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),Fraser, C. Gerald, '' The New York Times'', 2 June 1989. who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. His works are i ...
and
John Steinbeck. Wheatle's cellmate, a
Rastafari, was the one who encouraged Wheatle to start reading books and care about his education.
He features aspects of his life in his books, such as ''East of Acre Lane'' characters Yardman Irie and Jah Nelson.
Wheatle has since spoken about the Brixton riots, most prominently in the 2006
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
programme ''Battle for Brixton''. His early books are based on his life in Brixton as a teenager and his time in social services' care.
He received the
London Arts Board New Writers Award in 1999 for his debut novel ''Brixton Rock'', which was later adapted for the stage and performed at the
Young Vic in July 2010.
He wrote and performed ''Uprising'', a one-man play based on his own life at Tara Arts Studios,
Wandsworth
Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
Toponymy
Wandsworth takes its nam ...
, London. In 2011, he took ''Uprising'' on tour and performed it at the Writing On The Wall Festival,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, the
Oxford Playhouse
Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum.
History
The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxfo ...
, the
Marlowe Theatre
The Marlowe Theatre is a 1,200-seat theatre in Canterbury named after playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was born and attended school in the city. It was named a Stage Awards, 2022 UK Theatre of the Year.
The Marlowe Trust, a not for profi ...
,
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
, the
Ilkley Playhouse
Ilkley Playhouse is a live theatre in Ilkley, Bradford, England. It is owned and run by Ilkley Players Ltd a not-for-profit charitable organisation. Ilkley Playhouse is run by an Executive Committee and is staffed almost entirely by volunteers d ...
and the
Albany Theatre,
Deptford
Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...
. The play re-toured theatres and literature festivals in 2012, marking the 50th year of Jamaican Independence.
Wheatle lives in London. He is a member of
English PEN
Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associat ...
, and he now visits various institutions facilitating creative writing classes and making speeches. He has also narrated an audio guide to the streets of Brixton.
Awards and honours
In the
Queen's Birthday Honours 2008, Wheatle was awarded the
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
for services to literature.
His young-adult novel ''Liccle Bit'' was longlisted for the
Carnegie Medal in 2016.
His 2016 book ''Crongton Knights'' won the 50th
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...
.
S. F. Said, one of the judging panel, said of the book: "Wheatle's writing is poetic, rhythmic and unique, remaking the English language with tremendous verve. Though Crongton is his invention, it resonates with many urban situations, not only in Britain but around the world. Crongton Knights is a major novel from a major voice in British children's literature."
Wheatle's life story features in ''
Alex Wheatle
Alex Alphonso Wheatle MBE (Order of the British Empire), MBE (born 3 January 1963) is a British novelist, who was sentence (law), sentenced to a term of imprisonment after the 1981 Brixton riot in London.
Biography
Born in 1963 in London to J ...
'', the fourth film in ''
Small Axe'', a 2020
anthology of five films by
Steve McQueen about the West Indian community in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s. ''Alex Wheatle'' depicts Wheatle's life up to and just after the Brixton uprising.
Bibliography
*''Brixton Rock'' (Black Amber, 1999)
*''East of Acre Lane'' (
Fourth Estate, 2001)
*''The Seven Sisters'' (
Fourth Estate, 2002)
*''Checkers'' (with Mark Parham; X-Press, 2003)
*''Island Songs'' (
Allison & Busby
Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher.
Background
Launching as a publishing company in Ma ...
, 2005)
*''The Dirty South'' (
Serpent's Tail
Serpent's Tail is London-based independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It specialises in publishing work in translation, particularly European crime fiction. In January 2007, it was bought by a British publisher Profile Book ...
, 2008)
*''Brenton Brown'' (Arcadia Books, 2011)
*''Liccle Bit'' (Atom Books, 2015)
*''Crongton Knights'' (Atom Books, 2016)
*''Straight Outta Crongton'' (Atom Books, 2017)
*''Uprising'' (Spck Books, 2017)
*''Nicolas Cage '' (Barrington Stoke, 2018)
*''Home Boys'' (Arcadia Books, 2018)
*''Home Girl'' (Little Brown, Akashic, Hachette UK, 2019)
*''Cane Warriors'' (Andersen Press, 2020)
*''Cringel'' (Pringles, 2020)
*''Kemosha of the Caribbean'' (Andersen Press, 2022)
Wheatle's books have also been translated into French, Italian, Urdu, Welsh, German, and Japanese.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheatle, Alex
1963 births
Living people
20th-century English criminals
Black British writers
Criminals from London
Members of the Order of the British Empire
20th-century British novelists
21st-century British novelists
English people of Jamaican descent
British dramatists and playwrights
British male novelists
British male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century British male writers
21st-century British male writers
British children's writers
British writers of young adult literature
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winners