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Sophie Mackintosh

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Sophie Mackintosh
Born1988 (age 35–36)
Wales
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Warwick
GenreFiction, short stories
Notable worksThe Water Cure (novel)
Website
sophiemackintosh.co.uk

Sophie Mackintosh (born 1988)[1] is a British novelist and short story writer. Her debut novel, The Water Cure, was nominated for the 2018 Man Booker Prize.[2] In 2023, she was named on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list, compiled every 10 years since 1983, identifying the 20 most significant British novelists aged under 40.[3]

Biography

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Mackintosh was born in South Wales and grew up in Pembrokeshire, and attended Ysgol y Preseli, a Welsh language school in Crymych.[4] When she started writing, her initial focus was on poetry.[5] She eventually gravitated towards prose fiction, which she has combined with holding various jobs during her 20s.[4]

She is bilingual,[5] and cites Welsh mythology and Angela Carter as influences. Mackintosh enjoys running and eating.[6]

Books

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Mackintosh's first novel The Water Cure was released in May 2018. According to The Guardian's review, the novel exposes the parts of real life that are usually not confronted in the world.[7] British book editor Hermione Thompson who works for Penguin books and published the novel, wrote about the novel, “The Water Cure is an astonishing novel: it unfolds seductively, like a dream (or a nightmare), yet speaks urgently to the concerns of our own world. It heralds the arrival of a radical new voice in literary fiction.”[8]

Her second novel, Blue Ticket, was published in September 2020. It is set in a future where women are only allowed to become mothers through a lottery of blue and white tickets. The Times called it "gripping, ethereal."[9]

Her third novel, Cursed Bread, published in March 2023, is set around the 1951 Pont-Saint-Esprit mass poisoning. According to The Telegraph, it is "shimmering fever-dream of a novel."[10]

Awards and honours

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In 2023, Mackintosh's was named on the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list, compiled every 10 years since 1983, identifying the 20 most significant British novelists aged under 40.[3][11]

Awards for Mackintosh's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2016 Grace The White Review Short Story Prize Winner [12]
2016 "The Running Ones" Virago / Stylist Short Story Prize Winner [13]
2017 "Holiday with T" Berlin Writing Prize Shortlist [14]
2018 The Water Cure Man Booker Prize Longlist [15]
2019 The Water Cure Collyer Bristow Prize Shortlist [16]
2023 Cursed Bread Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist [17]

Bibliography

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Novels

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  • The Water Cure (2018), Hamish Hamilton
  • Blue Ticket (2020), Hamish Hamilton
  • Cursed Bread (2023), Hamish Hamilton

Short stories

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Critical studies and reviews of Mackintosh's work

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  • Miller, Laura (7 January 2019). "The purge : The Water Cure is a twisted fairy tale of toxic masculinity". The Critics. Books. The New Yorker. 94 (43): 68–69.[19]

Interviews

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  • "Creatives in profile: interview with Sophie Mackintosh”, Nothing in the Rulebook (October 2019)[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Sophie Mackintosh". David Higham. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  2. ^ Flood, Alison (23 July 2018). "Man Booker prize 2018 longlist includes graphic novel for the first time". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b Razzall, Katie (13 April 2023). "Granta: Eleanor Catton and Saba Sams make Best of Young British Novelists list". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b Cosslett, Rhiannon Lucy (24 May 2018). "Sophie Mackintosh: 'Dystopian feminism might be a trend, but it's also our lives'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  5. ^ a b Mackintosh, Sophie (11 June 2018). "10 Things I'd Like My Readers To Know About Me By Sophie Mackintosh". Female First. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  6. ^ Lee, Benjamin (22 December 2017). "Writers of the Week". Maudlin House. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  7. ^ Revely-Calder, Cal (23 May 2018). "The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh review – an extraordinary otherworldly debut". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  8. ^ Buxton, Alex. "Radical new voice in literary fiction secures publishing deal". Warwick. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  9. ^ Nurnberg, Alexander (6 September 2020). "Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh, review — new novel from the author of The Water Cure". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  10. ^ Allfree, Claire (18 February 2023). "Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh, review: sex and poison in rural France". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Granta Names 'Best of Young British Novelists'". Shelf Awareness. 14 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  12. ^ "The White Review Short Story Prize 2016". The White Review. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Meet the winner of Stylist's gothic short story competition". Stylist. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Berlin Writing Prize 2019". The Reader Berlin. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Awards: Man Booker; Gordon Burn Longlists". Shelf Awareness. 24 July 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Awards: FT/McKinsey Business Book Longlist; Collyer Bristow Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Awards: Women's Fiction Longlist". Shelf Awareness. 9 March 2023. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  18. ^ Mackintosh, Sophie (19 September 2018). "Joy Division inspired me to write – but could I write about their music? | Sophie Mackintosh". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  19. ^ Online version is titled "A twisted fairy tale about toxic masculinity".
  20. ^ "Creatives in profile: interview with Sophie Mackintosh". nothingintherulebook.com/. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
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