A. L. Kennedy

Alison Louise Kennedy (born 22 October 1965) is a Scots writer, academic and stand-up comedian. She writes novels, short stories and non-fiction, and is known for her dark tone and her blending of realism and fantasy. She contributes columns and reviews to European newspapers.[1]

A. L. Kennedy
A.L. Kennedy in 2012
A.L. Kennedy in 2012
BornAlison Louise Kennedy
(1965-10-22) 22 October 1965
Dundee, Scotland
OccupationWriter, academic, comedian
NationalityScots
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
EducationUniversity of Warwick
Website
www.a-l-kennedy.co.uk

Biography

Kennedy was born in Dundee to Edwardene Mildred, a teacher, and Robert Alan Kennedy, a psychology lecturer. Her parents divorced when she was 13. She attended the fee-paying High School of Dundee and went on to study for a BA Hons in Theatre Studies and Dramatic Arts at the University of Warwick.[2][3][4]

From 1987 to 1989, Kennedy was a community arts worker for Clydebank District Council. She then went on to a role as writer-in-residence for Hamilton and East Kilbride Social Work Department from 1989 to 1991. Her work there won a special Social Work Today Award in 1990. From 1989 to 1995 she worked on Project Ability, a Glasgow-based visual arts organisation. In 1995 she was a part-time lecturer at the University of Copenhagen.[4][5]

In 2009, she donated the short story Vanish to Oxfam's Ox-Tales project, four collections of stories written by 38 authors. Her story was published in the "Air" collection.[6] In 2016, her novel Serious Sweet was long-listed for the Booker Prize.

In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, she signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few."[7][8]

In 2020 she began contributing a column on her views of Brexit to the German daily paper Süddeutsche Zeitung.[9] [10] [11] [12]

Kennedy currently lives in Wivenhoe[13] and has been an associate professor in Creative Writing at the University of Warwick[14] since 2007, having previously taught creative writing at the University of St Andrews from 2003 to 2007.

She has performed as a stand-up comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe and literary festivals. Her main comedy club has been The Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh.[15]

Awards and honours

Works

Novels
  • Looking for the Possible Dance (1993) ISBN 978-0-7493-9758-6
  • So I Am Glad (1995) ISBN 978-0-09-945721-3
  • Everything You Need (1999) ISBN 978-0-09-973061-3
  • Paradise (2004) ISBN 978-0-09-943349-1
  • Day (5 April 2007) ISBN 978-0-09-949405-8
  • The Blue Book (4 August 2011) ISBN 978-0-224-09140-4
  • Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse (14 July 2015) ISBN 978-0-553-41944-3
  • Serious Sweet (19 May 2016) ISBN 978-0-224-09844-1
  • The Little Snake (6 November 2018) ISBN 978-1786893864

Short story collections
  • Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains (1990) ISBN 978-0-09-945006-1
  • Now That You're Back (1994) ISBN 978-0-09-945711-4
  • Tea and Biscuits (1996) ISBN 978-1-85799-757-6
  • Original Bliss (1997) ISBN 978-0-09-973071-2
  • Indelible Acts (2002) ISBN 978-0-09-943348-4
  • What Becomes (6 August 2009) ISBN 978-0-224-07787-3
  • All the Rage (2014) ISBN 978-0544307049
  • We Are Attempting To Survive Our Time (2020) ISBN 978-1787331822

Non-fiction
  • Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (1997) ISBN 0-85170-568-5
  • On Bullfighting (1999) ISBN 0-224-06099-6
  • On Writing (2013) ISBN 978-0-224-09697-3
  • ’’Care of the Luwak’’ (2010)

Screenwriting

Selected radio
  • Confessions of a Medium (2010), broadcast as the Saturday Play on BBC Radio 4, 13 March 2010 and 1 March 2013[26]
  • Happy Families (2011), broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 1 September 2011
  • Love Love Love Like The Beatles (2012), broadcast as the Afternoon Drama on BBC Radio 4, 26 June 2012
  • AA: America's Gift to the World (2014), broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 6 April 2015[27]
  • Subterranean Homesick Blues (beginning 2015), broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 14 September, 2015

References
  1. "Am Rande des Wahnsinns" ("On the Edge of Insanity") in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, 23/24 October 2021, p. 15. A full-page article about a visit to the Channel Islands, translated to German from the original English by Annette Meyer-Prien.
  2. Fox, Genevieve (5 August 2011). "AL Kennedy: interview". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. "BBC Two – Writing Scotland – AL Kennedy". BBC. September 2004. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  4. Who's Who 2016. London: A&C Black. 2015. p. 1266. ISBN 978-1-472-90470-6.
  5. International Who's Who of Women 2014 (9th ed.). Abingdon: Routledge. 2014. p. 545. ISBN 9781857436945.
  6. "Telling Tales", The Spectator, 1 July 2009.
  7. "Vote for hope and a decent future". The Guardian. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  8. Proctor, Kate (3 December 2019). "Coogan and Klein lead cultural figures backing Corbyn and Labour". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  9. Kennedy, A. L. (9 January 2020). "Popo, der Todesclown (Brexit-Kolumne "Affentheater")". Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  10. Kennedy, A. L. (14 January 2020). "Meghan und Harry wollen arbeiten? Unmöglich! (Brexit-Serie "Affentheater")". Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  11. Kennedy, A. L. (21 January 2020). "Englands größter Dildo (Kolumne "Affentheater")". Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  12. Kennedy, A. L. (29 January 2020). "Was lernen wir daraus? (Brexit-Kolumne "Affentheater")". Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  13. , 3 June 2016
  14. "AL Kennedy" Archived 17 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Courses, Creative Writing, Staff, University of Warwick
  15. "AL Kennedy: interview", Daily Telegraph, 5 August 2011
  16. "Granta Best Young British Novelists 2003". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  17. "Somerset Maugham past winners". www.societyofauthors.org. The Society of Authors. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  18. "HISTORY | Borderline Theatre Company". www.borderlinetheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  19. A.L. Kennedy. "Encore". Encoreaward.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  20. "A L Kennedy wins Saltire award". HeraldScotland. Herald and Times Group. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  21. "Literatur-Staatspreis an Britin verliehen". ORF Salzburg (Austrian Broadcasting Company). 27 July 2008. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  22. Brown, Mark (23 January 2008). "Perfect Day for AL Kennedy as she takes Costa book prize". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
  23. "1. Internationaler Eifel-Literatur-Preis 2008 am 08.06.2008 in Bitburg". www.eifel-literatur-festival.de. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  24. Alison Flood (13 June 2014). "Frank O'Connor prize shortlist pits 'masters' against first-timers". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  25. Acceptance speech, 11.12.2016 in Düsseldorf
  26. "BBC Radio 4 – Saturday Drama, Confessions of a Medium". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  27. "BBC Radio 4 – AA: America's Gift to the World". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
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