Ian Thomson (born 1961) is an English author, best known for his biography Primo Levi (2002), and reportage, The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica (2009)
His first important book, Bonjour Blanc: A Journey Through Haiti (1992), an amalgam of history and adventure, was recommended by J. G. Ballard as "hair-raising but hugely entertaining", and by the film director Jonathan Demme as "a great and abiding classic". His book, Primo Levi (2002),[1] a biography, took 10 years to write and is seen today as the definitive life of the Italian writer and concentration camp survivor. It won the RSL's W. H. Heinemann Award and was shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly′s Wingate Literary Prize and the Koret Jewish Book Award. (A centenary edition of the biography was published in 2019, fully updated and with a new preface, as Primo Levi: The Elements of a Life.)
In 2005 Thomson went back to the West Indies to write The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica (2009),[2][3] seen by some as one of the most controversial books written on Jamaica. In 2010 The Dead Yard was awarded the Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje Prize[4] as well as the Dolman Travel Book Award. Zadie Smith spoke of it in Harper's Magazine as a "truly excellent book".
Thomson edited Articles of Faith: The Collected Tablet Journalism of Graham Greene (2006), and contributed a short story to Kingston Noir (2012), a collection of fiction set in the Jamaican capital by various contemporary writers. In 2011, he donated the memoir, Fall and Rise of a Rome Patient, to Oxfam’s "OxTravel" project, a collection of UK articles by 36 writers. Thomson has translated the Sicilian crime writer Leonardo Sciascia into English, and has lectured at Columbia University, Princeton University and the Royal Society, London.
Dante's Journey: A Journey Without End (2018), Ian Thomson's "biography" of Dante's great poem, was a Financial Times and Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year.
In 2022 an interview Thomson conducted in Sicily with Leonardo Sciascia at the age of 24 was published as a book, Una conversazione a Palermo con Leonardo Sciascia; it contained a correspondence between Thomson and Sciascia.
Ian Thomson lives in London with his wife and children.
^"Travel writing's new frontiers". The Guardian. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
^Cullen, Miguel (4 October 2012). "Ian Thomson: Jamaica was modern before Britain". The Independent/. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
^Alison Flood (25 May 2010). "Ian Thomson wins £10,000 Ondaatje prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
^de Waal, Edmund. "Primo Levi". BBC. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
^"Ian Thomson Non-fiction writer". Royal Literary Fund. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
External linksedit
Wikiquote has quotations related to Ian Thomson (writer).
IanThomson.info – Ian Thomson's website
RLF page for Ian Thomson
January 01, 1970
thomson, writer, thomson, born, 1961, english, author, best, known, biography, primo, levi, 2002, reportage, dead, yard, tales, modern, jamaica, 2009, thomsonian, thomson, jamaicaborn1961nationalityenglisheducationdulwich, college, pembroke, college, cambridge. Ian Thomson born 1961 is an English author best known for his biography Primo Levi 2002 and reportage The Dead Yard Tales of Modern Jamaica 2009 Ian ThomsonIan Thomson in JamaicaBorn1961NationalityEnglishEducationDulwich College Pembroke College CambridgeNotable worksPrimo Levi biography 2002 The Dead Yard Tales of Modern Jamaica reportage 2009 Dante s Divine Comedy A Journey Without End criticism 2018 Contents 1 Biography 2 Selected bibliography 3 Awards and prizes 4 References 5 External linksBiography editIan Thomson was born in London in 1961 His parents moved to New York City that same year where his father worked for a Wall Street bank His mother a Baltic emigree came to England in 1947 at the age of 17 Thomson was educated at Dulwich College then at Pembroke College Cambridge where he read English He is the godson of the British painter Carel Weight In the 1980s he taught English literature and English as a foreign language in Rome then became a translator journalist and writer contributing to the Sunday Times Magazine The Independent The Guardian The Observer The Spectator and Times Literary Supplement He was Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University College London Currently he is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Non Fiction at the University of East Anglia He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature RSL His first important book Bonjour Blanc A Journey Through Haiti 1992 an amalgam of history and adventure was recommended by J G Ballard as hair raising but hugely entertaining and by the film director Jonathan Demme as a great and abiding classic His book Primo Levi 2002 1 a biography took 10 years to write and is seen today as the definitive life of the Italian writer and concentration camp survivor It won the RSL s W H Heinemann Award and was shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly s Wingate Literary Prize and the Koret Jewish Book Award A centenary edition of the biography was published in 2019 fully updated and with a new preface as Primo Levi The Elements of a Life In 2005 Thomson went back to the West Indies to write The Dead Yard Tales of Modern Jamaica 2009 2 3 seen by some as one of the most controversial books written on Jamaica In 2010 The Dead Yard was awarded the Royal Society of Literature s Ondaatje Prize 4 as well as the Dolman Travel Book Award Zadie Smith spoke of it in Harper s Magazine as a truly excellent book Thomson edited Articles of Faith The Collected Tablet Journalism of Graham Greene 2006 and contributed a short story to Kingston Noir 2012 a collection of fiction set in the Jamaican capital by various contemporary writers In 2011 he donated the memoir Fall and Rise of a Rome Patient to Oxfam s OxTravel project a collection of UK articles by 36 writers Thomson has translated the Sicilian crime writer Leonardo Sciascia into English and has lectured at Columbia University Princeton University and the Royal Society London Dante s Journey A Journey Without End 2018 Ian Thomson s biography of Dante s great poem was a Financial Times and Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year In 2022 an interview Thomson conducted in Sicily with Leonardo Sciascia at the age of 24 was published as a book Una conversazione a Palermo con Leonardo Sciascia it contained a correspondence between Thomson and Sciascia Ian Thomson lives in London with his wife and children Selected bibliography edit1992 Bonjour Blanc A Journey Through Haiti 2002 Primo Levi A Life 5 2007 Articles of Faith Graham Greene s Contributions to The Tablet 2009 The Dead Yard Tales of Modern Jamaica 2012 Kingston Noir 2018 Dante s Divine Comedy A Journey Without End 2019 Primo Levi The Elements of a Life 2022 Ian Thomson Una conversazione a Palermo con Leonardo Sciascia Rubbettino Editore Sicilia Awards and prizes edit1988 Society of Authors Foundation Grant Primo Levi A Life 2002 Royal Society of Literature W H Heinemann Award Primo Levi A Life 6 2009 Society of Authors Foundation Grant The Dead Yard Tales of Modern Jamaica 2010 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize The Dead Yard Tales of Modern Jamaica 2010 Dolman Travel Book Award The Dead Yard Tales of Modern JamaicaReferences edit Primo me and C amp A The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 26 July 2016 Travel writing s new frontiers The Guardian 9 July 2010 Retrieved 18 December 2014 Cullen Miguel 4 October 2012 Ian Thomson Jamaica was modern before Britain The Independent Retrieved 18 December 2014 Alison Flood 25 May 2010 Ian Thomson wins 10 000 Ondaatje prize The Guardian Retrieved 18 December 2014 de Waal Edmund Primo Levi BBC Retrieved 18 December 2014 Ian Thomson Non fiction writer Royal Literary Fund Retrieved 18 December 2014 External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Ian Thomson writer IanThomson info Ian Thomson s website RLF page for Ian Thomson Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ian Thomson writer amp oldid 1127792601, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
