James Meek (author)

This article is about a living British writer. For the clergyman of the same name, see James Meek.

James Meek (born 1962) is a British writer and journalist. He was born in London and grew up in Dundee, Scotland.

Meek spent several years living in the former Soviet Union in the 1990s and now resides in London. He has published four novels and two short story collections. In 2004 he was named Foreign Correspondent and Amnesty Journalist of The Year. His third novel, The People’s Act of Love (2005), received significant critical acclaim and went on to win the Scottish Arts Council Book of Year Award and the Ondaatje Prize. It has been translated into twenty languages. His fourth novel, We Are Now Beginning Our Descent (2008) won the Prince Maurice prize.

A film version of The People's Act of Love adapted by Johnny Depp is in development.

Meek was on the staff of The Guardian newspaper until 2005 and has reported on subjects including the war in Iraq, the Chechen conflict, the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and tax avoidance by wealthy individuals in the UK.

Bibliography

• We Are Now Beginning Our Descent (Canongate, 2008) ISBN 1-8419-5988-X
• The People's Act of Love (Canongate, 2005) ISBN 1-84195-706-2
• The Museum of Doubt (Rebel Inc, 2000) ISBN 1-84195-808-5
• Drivetime (Polygon, 1995) ISBN 0-7486-6205-7
• Last Orders and Other Stories (Polygon, 1992) ISBN 0-7486-6127-1
• McFarlane Boils the Sea (Polygon, 1989) ISBN 0-7486-6006-2

Translations

Czech

• Sibiřské drama: syrový milostný příběh z období ruské revoluce, 2006, ISBN 80-7217-446-0

Danish

• I kærlighedens navn, 2005, ISBN 87-91746-01-9

Dutch

• Uit liefde van het volk

French

• Nous commençons notre descente, translation David Fauquemberg, Métaillé 2008 ISBN 978-2-86424-657-2
• Un acte d'amour, translation David Fauquemberg, Métaillé 2007 ISBN 978-2-86424-607-7
• Thé à l'eau de mer (McFarlane Boils the Sea), translation Fanchita Gonzalez Battle, Autrement, 1997 ISBN 978-2-86260703-0

German

• Die einsamen Schrecken der Liebe, 2005, ISBN 3-426-19710-3

Hungarian

• A szeretet hírmondói, 2008, ISBN 978-963-87565-8-9

Italian

• Per amore del popolo, 2005, ISBN 88-304-2267-3

Norwegian

• Kjærlighetens utposter, 2007

Portuguese

• O Acto de Amor do Povo, 2006

Romanian

• Un gest de iubire, 2007, ISBN 978-973-50-1765-1

Serbian

• Narodna deklaracija ljubavi, 2007

Swedish

• Den yttersta kärlekens gulag, 2006

External links

• http://www.threemonkeysonline.com/article_james_meek_peoples_act_of_love.htm (author interview)
• http://www.barcelonareview.com/51/e_int.htm (author interview)
• http://www.prx.org/pieces/12824 (radio interview from Radio Netherlands, English)
• http://www.perlentaucher.de/buch/21914.html (press reviews, German)
• http://www.welt.de/print-welt/article689447/Das_Grau_das_Grau.html (review in Die Welt, German)
• http://www.parool.nl/boeken/2005/recensies/102005-meek.html (review in Het Parool, Dutch)
• http://www.8weekly.nl/index.php?art=3058 (review, Dutch)