- Jamila Gavin
Jamila Gavin (Born
August 9 ,1941 ) is a British writer born inMussoorie ,India in the foothills of theHimalayas near the border withPakistan .Her father was Indian and her mother English. She learned to describe herself as "half and half." On her website she says that from her mixed background "I inherited two rich cultures which ran side by side throughout my life, and which always made me feel I belonged to both countries".
She first visited England when she was five, and settled there when she was 11. She worked in the music department of the
BBC before becoming a writer.She wrote her first book after her first child was born because she became aware that there were few children's books reflecting their experience as multi-racial children. She has also written books reflecting her childhood in India, particularly her Surya Trilogy.
She now lives in
Gloucestershire .Works By Jamila Gavin
The "Surya Trilogy" is an epic story following the fortunes of two generations of an
India nSikh family and showing the impact of theBritish Empire and thePartition of India on their lives. The three volumes are "The Wheel of Surya" (1992), "The Eye of the Horse" (1994) and "The Track of the Wind" (1997). All three books were shortlisted for theGuardian Award for which "The Wheel of Surya" was special runner up in 1993."
Coram Boy " won the 2000Whitbread Prize for a children's book. It is set in the 18th century, based on theFoundling Hospital established by sea captainThomas Coram . "Coram Boy" has been dramatised byHelen Edmundson and staged in a highly praised production by theRoyal National Theatre and briefly in 2007 on Broadway.The "Three Indian..." series, including "Three Indian Goddesses" and "Three Indian Princesses" are collections of short stories based around Indian legends.
"Grandpa Chatterji" is a series for younger children.One of the books in the series, "Grandpa Chatterji", was adapted for television in 1997. Other books in the series are "Grandpa Chatterji's Third Eye" and "Grandpa's Indian Summer".
External links
* [http://www.jamilagavin.co.uk/index.htm Jamila Gavin's Homepage]
* [http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth519D1C3A07dcd22FD0qGi3E9DFF1 British Council Arts: Contemporary Writers]
* [http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=16220 Coram Boy at the National Theatre]
* [http://www.stagework.org/webdav/harmonise?Section/@id=1052&Page/@id=6007 Stageworks: The National Theatre's educational website for Coram Boy]
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