Mal Peet
When he was a boy, Mal Peet’s love of both football and books made him something of a rarity among his peers. These days, he aims to bridge the perceived divide between the two activities in his work.
His success in doing so can be measured not just by the critical acclaim his books receive, but by the letters he gets, both from readers surprised to enjoy a book about football and from non-readers surprised to enjoy a book at all.
•
Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival Appearance
N.B. All dates / times are provisional and subject to final confirmation
| Date: | Friday 24 September 2010 |
| Time: | 1pm |
| Place: | Playhouse |
| Tickets: | £3 |
•
Mal Peet is a writer of exceptional talent who has established himself as a strong and distinctive voice in young adult fiction.
Mal Peet grew up in North Norfolk, and studied English and American Studies at the University of Warwick. Later he moved to south west England and worked at a variety of jobs before turning full-time to writing and illustrating in the early 1990s. With his wife, Elspeth Graham, he has written and illustrated many educational picture books for young children, and his cartoons have appeared in a number of magazines. He and Elspeth live in Exmouth, Devon.
He is the author of several novels for young adults. His first, Keeper, was published in 2003, and won the Branford Boase Award. His second, Tamar (2005), the story of two men caught up in secret operations during World War II, won the 2005 Carnegie medal. His third novel, The Penalty (2006), returns to the South American location of Keeper, and sets a modern-day story of crime and corruption against an historical narrative of slavery and occult religion. It was shortlisted for the 2007 Booktrust Teenage Prize.
His latest novel is Exposure (2008), a modern re-telling of Othello and winner of the 2009 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
Mal Peet’s work is notable for its refusal to submit to categories – the constraints which label what a book should be about, and who it should appeal to. His books to date prove that successful literature for young readers doesn’t have to be didactic, or have overtly youthful themes, or even centre on young characters. It is the quality of the writing which is, ultimately, the most important thing.
LINKS:
A Writer’s Life: Mal Peet | Daily Telegraph | July 2006
Mal Peet on winning the Guardian children’s fiction prize
Mal Peet Q&A
Interview with Mal Peet
This is Budleigh Salterton's second literary festival.
