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Gordon Burn

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For the British television presenter, see Gordon Burns.

Gordon Burn
Born16 January 1948 (1948-01-16)
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died17 July 2009 (2009-07-18) (aged 61)
England
Occupation(s)Journalist, novelist

Gordon Burn (16 January 1948 – 17 July 2009)[1] was an English writer born in Newcastle upon Tyne and the author of four novels and several works of non-fiction.

Background

[edit]

Burn's novels explore the issues of modern fame and faded celebrity as lived through the media spotlight.[2] His novel Alma Cogan (1991), which imagined the future life of the British singer Alma Cogan had she not died in 1966, won the Whitbread Award for Best First Novel. His other novels, Fullalove and The North of England Home Service, were published in 1995 and 2003, respectively.

His non-fiction works deal primarily with sport and true crime. Burn's first book, Somebody's Husband, Somebody's Son, was a study of Peter Sutcliffe, 'the Yorkshire Ripper,' and his 1998 book, Happy Like Murderers: The Story of Fred and Rosemary West, dealt in similar detail with two of Britain's most notorious serial killers.[3]

Burn's interest in such infamous villains extended to his fiction, with Myra Hindley, one of the 'Moors murderers', featuring prominently in the novel Alma Cogan.[4] His sport-based books consisted of Pocket Money: Inside the World of Snooker (1986) and Best and Edwards: Football, Fame and Oblivion (2006), the latter of which examines the twin stories of Manchester United footballers Duncan Edwards and George Best, and the "trajectory of two careers unmoored in wildly different ways."

He also wrote a book in conjunction with British artist Damien Hirst, On the Way to Work, a collection of interviews from various dates between 1992 and 2001. A regular contributor to The Guardian, his columns often focused on contemporary art.[5]

Gordon Burn died of bowel cancer in 2009, aged 61.

Sex & Violence, Death & Silence

[edit]

Sex & Violence, Death & Silence is a book written by Gordon Burn in 2009 and published by Faber and Faber.[6] It contains selections of writing by Burn about art and artists (as well as art dealers and collectors) spanning almost thirty-five years, including interviews and reviews as well as extracts from his novel Alma Cogan. It opens with a foreword by Damien Hirst with David Peace.

Gordon Burn died in the summer of 2009, whilst the book was being prepared for publication.

The artists discussed in the book are as follows:

British art dealer Nigel Greenwood is also featured.

Critical reception

[edit]

Nicholas Lezard described the work as being "knowledgeable, thorough and readable".[7]

Bibliography

[edit]

Fiction

[edit]
  • Alma Cogan (1991)
  • Fullalove (1995)
  • The North of England Home Service (2003)
  • Born Yesterday: The News As A Novel (2008)

Non-fiction

[edit]
  • Somebody's Husband, Somebody's Son: The Story of Peter Sutcliffe (1984)
  • Pocket Money: Inside The World of Snooker (1986)
  • Happy Like Murderers: The Story of Fred And Rosemary West (1998)
  • On The Way To Work (with Damien Hirst) (2001)
  • Best And Edwards: Football, Fame And Oblivion (2006)

Gordon Burn Prize

[edit]

In 2013 the Gordon Burn Prize was launched "to reward fiction or non-fiction written in the English language, which in the opinion of the judges most successfully represents the spirit and sensibility of Gordon's literary methods: novels which dare to enter history and interrogate the past...literature which challenges perceived notions of genre and makes us think again about just what it is that we are reading."[8]

The prize is jointly organised by the Gordon Burn Trust, New Writing North and Faber & Faber. The winner receives £5,000 and is offered the use of Burn's cottage in Berwickshire as a writers' retreat.[8] Up until 2024, the prize ceremony was generally the first event of the Durham Book Festival. In 2024, the prize fund was doubled to £10,000 due to new sponsors and the award ceremony relocated to Newcastle upon Tyne.[9][10]

Shortlists and Winners

[edit]
Year Author Title Publisher Ref
2013 Ben Myers Pig Iron Bluemoose Books [11][12]
Anthony Cartwright How I Killed Margaret Thatcher Tindal Street Press [13][14]
Duncan Hamilton The Footballer Who Could Fly Century
Richard Lloyd Parry People Who Eat Darkness Jonathan Cape
Jean Rafferty Myra, Beyond Saddleworth Wild Wolf Publishing
2014 Paul Kingsnorth The Wake Unbound [15]
Richard Benson The Valley Bloomsbury [16][17]
Richard House The Kills Picador
Olivia Laing The Trip to Echo Spring Canongate
Gruff Rhys American Interior Hamish Hamilton
Willy Vlautin The Free Faber and Faber
2015 Dan Davies In Plain Sight: The Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile Quercus [18]
Honor Gavin Midland Penned in the Margins [19][20]
Romesh Gunesekera Noon Tide Toll Granta Books
Richard King Original Rockers Faber and Faber
Peter Pomerantsev Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible PublicAffairs
2016 David Szalay All That Man Is Jonathan Cape [21][22]
Jeremy Gavron A Woman on the Edge of Time: A Son’s Search for his Mother Scribe [23][24]
Olivia Laing The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone Picador
Ottessa Moshfegh Eileen Penguin Press
Harry Parker Anatomy of a Soldier Faber and Faber
Adrian Tempany And the Sun Shines Now Faber and Faber
2017 Denise Mina The Long Drop Harvill Secker [25][26]
Adelle Stripe Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile Wrecking Ball Press [27][28]
Kapka Kassabova Border: A Journey to the Edge of Europe Granta Books
Gwendoline Riley First Love Granta Books
David Keenan This Is Memorial Device Faber and Faber
Lara Pawson This Is the Place to Be CB Editions
2018 Jesse Ball Census Granta Books [29]
Nicola Barker H(a)ppy William Heinemann [30][31]
Guy Gunaratne In Our Mad and Furious City Tinder Press
Olivia Laing Crudo Picador
Deborah Levy The Cost of Living Hamish Hamilton
Michelle McNamara I’ll Be Gone in the Dark Faber and Faber
2019 David Keenan For the Good Times Faber and Faber [32]
Bernardine Evaristo Girl, Woman, Other Hamish Hamilton [33][34]
Nafissa Thompson-Spires Heads of the Colored People Chatto & Windus
Max Porter Lanny Faber and Faber
Pat Barker The Silence of the Girls Penguin
Niven Govinden This Brutal House Dialogue Books
2020 Peter Pomerantsev This Is Not Propaganda Faber and Faber [35]
Jenn Ashworth Notes Made While Falling Goldsmiths Press [36][37]
Paul Mendez Rainbow Milk Dialogue Books
Deborah Orr Motherwell: A Girlhood Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Lemn Sissay My Name Is Why Canongate
Lisa Taddeo Three Women Bloomsbury
2021 Hanif Abdurraqib A Little Devil in America Allen Lane [38]
Sam Byers Come Join Our Disease Faber and Faber [39]
Doireann Ní Ghríofa A Ghost in the Throat Tramp Press
Jenni Fagan Luckenbooth William Heinemann
Salena Godden Mrs Death Misses Death Canongate
Tabitha Lasley Sea State HarperCollins
2022 Preti Taneja Aftermath And Other Stories [40][41]
David Whitehouse About a Son Phoenix Press [42]
Graeme Macrae Burnet Case Study Saraband
Margo Jefferson Constructing a Nervous System Granta Books
Lea Ypi Free: Coming of Age at the End of History Allen Lane
2023 / 2024 Kathryn Scanlan Kick the Latch Daunt Originals [43]
Rory Carroll Killing Thatcher Mudlark [44][45]
Jonathan Escoffery If I Survive You 4th Estate
Anna Funder Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life Viking Press
John Niven O Brother Canongate
Megan Nolan Ordinary Human Failings Jonathan Cape
Tanya Tagaq Split Tooth And Other Stories

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lea, Richard (20 July 2009). "Groundbreaking author Gordon Burn dies aged 61". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  2. ^ Garfield, Simon (1 October 2006). "Observer review: Best and Edwards: Football, Fame and Oblivion". The Observer. London. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  3. ^ "Bibliography". Gordon Burn Trust. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  4. ^ Donaldson, Brian (1 August 2008). "Gordon Burn: Rewriting the Past". The Herald. Retrieved 17 July 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Gordon Burn | Page 2 of 5 | Books | The Guardian". the Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  6. ^ Sex & Violence, Death & silence. ASIN 0571229298.
  7. ^ Lezard, Nicholas (28 November 2009). "Sex & Violence, Death & Silence by Gordon Burn | Book review". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  8. ^ a b "The Prize". Gordon Burn Trust. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Shortlist Gordon Burn Prize 2023-24 | Gordon Burn Trust". gordonburntrust.com. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  10. ^ Fraine, Laura (23 March 2023). "New sponsor, bigger prize fund and new chair of judges for the Gordon Burn Prize". New Writing North. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  11. ^ Bury, Liz (21 October 2013). "Benjamin Myers claims inaugural Gordon Burn prize". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Award honours influential writer". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Content - News". www.gordonburntrust.com. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  14. ^ Tallentire, Mark (7 August 2013). "Five on Gordon Burn prize shortlist". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  15. ^ "Mark Rylance-backed novel wins £5,000 literary prize". BBC News. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  16. ^ Taylor, Chris (12 August 2014). "Gordon Burn Prize 2014: Super Furry Animals frontman nominated". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  17. ^ "Super Furry Animals musician makes book prize shortlist". BBC News. 13 August 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Journalist wins award for Jimmy Savile book". BBC News. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  19. ^ Tallentire, Mark (9 October 2015). "Jimmy Savile investigation wins book prize". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  20. ^ Lowes, Jude (11 August 2015). "Gordon Burn Prize shortlist announced". New Writing North. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  21. ^ Flood, Alison (7 October 2016). "David Szalay's 'unsparing' All That Man Is wins Gordon Burn prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  22. ^ Tayler, Christopher (30 November 2018). "Turbulence by David Szalay — the mile high-club". www.ft.com. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  23. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (7 October 2016). "David Szalay wins Gordon Burn Prize 2016". The Bookseller. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  24. ^ Wonfor, Sam (9 August 2016). "Gordon Burns Prize 2016 shortlist announced". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  25. ^ Lawson, Mark (30 November 2017). "The best crime books and thrillers of 2017". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  26. ^ Lowes, Jude (12 October 2017). "The winner of the Gordon Burn Prize 2017 is announced". New Writing North. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  27. ^ Lewis, Chrissie (22 July 2017). "Gordon Burn Prize Shortlist!". Wrecking Ball Press. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  28. ^ Fraine, Laura (21 July 2017). "Gordon Burn Prize 2017 – shortlist announced". New Writing North. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  29. ^ Flood, Alison (11 October 2018). "Jesse Ball's 'strange and beautiful' Census wins Gordon Burn prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  30. ^ Onwuemezi, Natasha (20 July 2018). "McNamara makes 2018 Gordon Burn shortlist". The Bookseller. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  31. ^ Lowes, Jude (20 July 2018). "Shortlist announced for Gordon Burn Prize 2018". New Writing North. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  32. ^ Flood, Alison (11 October 2019). "David Keenan's Troubles novel For the Good Times wins Gordon Burn prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  33. ^ Fraine, Laura (17 July 2019). "Shortlist announced for Gordon Burn Prize 2019". New Writing North. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  34. ^ Wood, Heloise (17 July 2019). "Porter and Barker shortlisted for 2019 Gordon Burn Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  35. ^ Lea, Richard (15 October 2020). "Peter Pomerantsev's study of 'the war against reality' wins Gordon Burn prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  36. ^ Fraine, Laura (23 July 2020). "Shortlist announced for Gordon Burn Prize 2020". New Writing North. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  37. ^ Comerford, Ruth (23 July 2020). "Sissay, Taddeo and Mendez shortlisted for Gordon Burn Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  38. ^ Flood, Alison (14 October 2021). "Hanif Abdurraqib wins the Gordon Burn prize for A Little Devil in America". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  39. ^ Knight, Lucy (13 August 2021). "Sam Byers and Salena Godden shortlisted for the Gordon Burn prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  40. ^ Knight, Lucy (13 October 2022). "2022 Gordon Burn prize awarded to London Bridge terror attack examination, Aftermath". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  41. ^ Khanna, Aditi (20 October 2022). "British Indian author Preti Taneja bags Gordon Burn Prize for 'Aftermath' on 2019 London Bridge terror attack". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  42. ^ Shaffi, Sarah (3 August 2022). "Gordon Burn prize shortlist announced: jazz icons, true crime and a rogue psychotherapist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  43. ^ Creamer, Ella (7 March 2024). "Kathryn Scanlan wins Gordon Burn prize for novel Kick the Latch". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  44. ^ Creamer, Ella (25 January 2024). "Gordon Burn prize announces 'blazing' shortlist". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  45. ^ Doyle, Martin (25 January 2024). "Magee and Morris on Dylan Thomas Prize longlist; Nolan and Carroll on Gordon Burn Prize shortlist; Bernie McGill wins Edge Hill story prize". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
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