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]
Work edit
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 edit
The Lighthouse edit
"A haunting and accomplished novel." (Katy Guest, The Independent on Sunday)[15]
He Wants edit
"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 edit
"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 edit
"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 edit
"There is humour and kindness alongside the mischief and mystery. A delightful and satisfying read for any age." (Jackie Law, Never Imitate)[19]
References edit
- ^ "Alison Moore - author of the Man Booker shortlisted 'The Lighthouse'". www.alison-moore.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "Alison Moore". Man Booker Prize. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "McKitterick Prize". www.societyofauthors.org. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ Manchester Metropolitan University. "Manchester Writing Competition 2009, Manchester Metropolitan University". Manchester Metropolitan University. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "When the Door Closed, It Was Dark". Nightjar Press. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ Salt. "Best British Short Stories 2011". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "Short stories". Retrieved 18 September 2012.
- ^ "The Pre-War House And Other Stories". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "Observer Books of the Year 2012". Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- ^ "Observer Books of the Year 2014". Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Salt. "Missing". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ Salt. "Search: 3 results found for "sunny and the ghosts"". Salt. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Alison Moore - He Wants". The List. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "What is Colette Maitland Reading? - The New Quarterly Digital Edition". The New Quarterly. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "Missing by Alison Moore – The Spider's House". Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ Law, Jackie (20 November 2018). "Book Review: Sunny and the Ghosts". neverimitate. Retrieved 10 May 2021.