Alison Moore (writer)

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Alison Moore (born 1971) is an English writer. Born in Manchester, she lives in Leicestershire. She is an honorary lecturer in the School of English at the University of Nottingham. [1]

Contents

Work

Moore's 2012 debut novel, The Lighthouse , was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize. [2] In reaction to the announcement, Moore commented: "Reaching the shortlist is ridiculously exciting. I keep feeling like I ought to stop daydreaming and get on with something, but it's all real." [3] Chair of the Booker jury, Sir Peter Stothard, described the jury's decision in the following words: "The judges admired The Lighthouse's bleak inner landscape, a temperature control set low and an impressively assured control." [4] The Lighthouse went on to win the 2013 McKitterick Prize. [5]

Before The Lighthouse, Moore had written and published several short stories, including 'Static', shortlisted for the inaugural Manchester Fiction Prize, [6] and 'When the Door Closed, It Was Dark', published as a chapbook by Nightjar Press [7] and included in Best British Short Stories 2011. [8] Much of this work is collected in The Pre-War House and Other Stories, [9] whose title story won first prize in the novella category of the New Writer Prose and Poetry Prizes 2009. [10]

Her second novel, He Wants, was published in 2014. Both The Lighthouse and He Wants were Observer Books of the Year. [11] [12] Her third novel, Death and the Seaside was published in 2016. In 2018, Moore published her fourth novel, Missing, [13] and a chapter book for children, Sunny and the Ghosts, which became the first in a trilogy, illustrated by Ross Collins. [14] A fifth novel The Retreat was published in 2021

Reviews

The Lighthouse

"A haunting and accomplished novel." (Katy Guest, The Independent on Sunday) [15]

He Wants

"The best novels are the ones that leave you with a sense of yearning, and in He Wants, Alison Moore proves her mastery of the medium." (Lynsey May, The List) [16]

Death and the Seaside

"Moore masterfully dials up the tension throughout, leading to an unexpected finale that feels both inevitable and deliciously satisfying." (Colette Maitland, The New Quarterly) [17]

Missing

"There are books which, when you finish reading them, force you to stop everything for a moment to acknowledge their excellence, to mark a personal encounter with something special. Missing is one of those books" (Nina Allan, The Spider's House) [18]

Sunny and the Ghosts

"There is humour and kindness alongside the mischief and mystery. A delightful and satisfying read for any age." (Jackie Law, Never Imitate) [19]

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References

  1. ↑ "Alison Moore - author of the Man Booker shortlisted 'The Lighthouse'". www.alison-moore.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "Alison Moore". Man Booker Prize. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "Alison Moore's The Lighthouse shortlisted for 2012 Man Booker Prize". Salt Publishing. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "First-time Leicestershire novelist Alison Moore is shortlisted for Booker". This is Leicestershire. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "McKitterick Prize". www.societyofauthors.org. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Manchester Metropolitan University. "Manchester Writing Competition 2009, Manchester Metropolitan University". Manchester Metropolitan University. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "When the Door Closed, It Was Dark". Nightjar Press. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Salt. "Best British Short Stories 2011". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Short stories" . Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "The Pre-War House And Other Stories". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Observer Books of the Year 2012" . Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  12. ↑ "Observer Books of the Year 2014" . Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  13. ↑ Salt. "Missing". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  14. ↑ Salt. "Search: 3 results found for "sunny and the ghosts"". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "The Guest List: An alternative to the Booker longlist" . The Independent. 29 July 2012. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Alison Moore - He Wants". The List. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  17. ↑ "What is Colette Maitland Reading? - The New Quarterly Digital Edition". The New Quarterly. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "Missing by Alison Moore – The Spider's House" . Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  19. ↑ Law, Jackie (20 November 2018). "Book Review: Sunny and the Ghosts". neverimitate. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
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