Malorie Blackman
1700624
219714904
2008-06-16T15:26:45Z
Necrothesp
64853
OBE
{{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] -->
| name = Malorie Blackman
| image = maloriesmall.jpg
| imagesize = 100px
| birthdate = February [[1962]]
| birthplace = [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
| occupation = [[Author]]
| genre = [[Children's literature]], [[science fiction]] and [[Horror fiction|horror]]
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| movement =
| website = http://www.malorieblackman.co.uk/
}}
'''Malorie Blackman''', [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (born February [[1962]]) is an award-winning [[United Kingdom|British]] [[author]] of [[literature]] and [[television]] drama for children and young adults. She has used [[science fiction]] to explore social and ethical issues. Her critically and popularly acclaimed ''[[Noughts & Crosses series]]'' uses the setting of a fictional [[dystopia]] to explore [[racism]].
==Biography==
[[Image:Noughts_and_Crosses_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg|thumb|180px|right|The cover of the 2002 paperback of ''Noughts & Crosses'']] <!-- FAIR USE of Image:Noughts_and_Crosses_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Noughts_and_Crosses_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg for rationale -->
Malorie Blackman was born in February [[1962]] in [[London]].<ref name="Penguin authors">{{cite web
| last = Blackman
| first = Malorie
| title = Malorie Blackman
| work = Penguin UK Authors
| publisher = Penguin Books Ltd.
| date = 1995–2007
| url = http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,0_1000003969,00.html
| accessdate = 2007-03-23 }}</ref> While at [[grammar school]], in [[Peckham]], she wanted to be an English teacher but grew up to become a [[System programming|systems programmer]] instead.<ref name="Craig interview">{{cite web
| last = Craig
| first = Amanda
| authorlink = Amanda Craig
| title = Malorie Blackman: the world in photographic negative
| work = [[The Times]]
| publisher = Times Newspapers Limited
| date = 2004-01
| url = http://www.amandacraig.com/pages/journalism/interviews/malorie_blackman.htm
| accessdate = 2007-03-27 }}</ref><ref name="Penguin authors" /> She earned a [[Higher National Certificate|HNC]] at [[Thames Polytechnic]] and is a graduate of the [[National Film and Television School]].<ref name="Penguin authors" /><ref>{{cite web
| title = Malorie Blackman
| work = 40 artists, 40 days
| publisher = [[Tate|Tate Online]]
| date = 2006
| url = http://www.tate.org.uk/40artists40days/malorie_blackman.html
| accessdate = 2007-03-28 }}</ref> Blackman married her [[Scottish people|Scottish]] husband Neil in the 1990s and their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1995.<ref name="Craig interview"/> Blackman has described herself, "I'm just Malorie Blackman – a black woman writer."<ref name="Penguin authors" />
Blackman's first book, ''Not So Stupid'', was a collection of [[Horror fiction|horror]] and [[science fiction]] stories for [[young adults]], published in November [[1990 in literature|1990]].<ref name="British Library catalogue">{{cite web
| title = Full Record
| work = [[British Library]] Integrated Catalogue
| publisher = The British Library Board
| url = http://catalogue.bl.uk
| accessdate = 2007-03-28 }}</ref> Since then she has written more than fifty children's books, including [[novel]]s and [[short story]] collections, and also television [[screenplays|scripts]] and a [[theatre|stage play]].<ref name="British Library catalogue" /><ref name="multiple awards (first)">{{cite web
| title = Malorie Blackman
| work = Contemporary Writers
| publisher = [[British Council]]
| date = 2007
| url = http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth519D6BC107d6922CB1VoU30CEDE6
| accessdate = 2007-03-23 }}</ref> Her work has won more than fifteen awards.<ref name="multiple awards (first)" /><ref name="multiple awards (second)">{{cite web
| title = Awards and Prizes
| work = Kids at Random House
| publisher = Random House Children's Books
| url = http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/childrens/grownups/prizes/prizes.htm
| accessdate = 2007-03-23 }}</ref> Blackman's television scripts include episodes of the long-running, children's drama ''[[Byker Grove]]'', as well as television adaptations of her novels ''Whizziwig'' and ''Pig-Heart Boy''.<ref name="multiple awards (first)" /> Her books have been translated into over fifteen languages including [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Welsh language|Welsh]], [[German language|German]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and [[French language|French]].
Blackman's award-winning ''[[Noughts & Crosses series]]'', exploring love, [[racism]], and [[violence]], is set in a fictional [[Utopian and dystopian fiction|dystopia]]. Explaining her choice of title, in a 2007 interview for the [[BBC]]'s ''Blast'' website, Blackman said [[Tic-tac-toe|noughts and crosses]] is "...one of those games that nobody ever plays after [[childhood]], because nobody ever wins..."<ref name="BBC Blast interview">{{cite web
| title = Malorie Blackman - Children and Young People's Writer
| work = Blast
| publisher = [[BBC]]
| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/about/ask/mblackman_transcript.shtml
| accessdate = 2007-03-23 }}</ref> In an interview for ''[[The Times]]'', Blackman said that before writing ''Noughts & Crosses'' her [[protagonist]]s' [[Ethnic group|ethnicites]] were never central to the plots of her books.<ref name="Craig interview"/> She has also said, "I wanted to show black children just getting on with their lives, having adventures, and solving their dilemmas, like the characters in all the books I read as a child."<ref name="Penguin authors" /> Blackman eventually decided to address racism directly.<ref name="Craig interview"/><ref name="BBC Blast interview" /> She reused some details from her own experience, including an occasion when she needed a [[Adhesive bandage|plaster]] and found they were designed to be inconspicuous only on white people's skin.<ref name="Craig interview"/> ''The Times'' interviewer [[Amanda Craig]] speculated about why the ''Noughts & Crosses'' series was not, for a long time, published in the [[United States]]: "though there was considerable interest, 9/11 killed off the possibility of publishing any book describing what might drive someone to become a terrorist."<ref name="Craig interview"/> Noughts and Crosses is now available in the US published under the title Black & White (Simon & Schuster Publishers, 2005)
''Noughts & Crosses'' was #61 on the [[Big Read]] list, a 2003 BBC survey to find "The Nation's Best-Loved Book", with more votes than ''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]'', several [[Terry Pratchett]] novels, and ''[[Lord of the Flies]]''.
She was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.<ref>{{LondonGazette |issue=58729 |date=[[14 June]] [[2008]] |startpage=9 |supp=yes |notarchive=yes}}</ref>
==Works==
===Published works===
[[Image:An Eye for an Eye by Malorie Blackman.jpg|thumb|180px|right|The cover of the 2003, first edition, paperback of ''An Eye for an Eye'']] <!-- FAIR USE of Image:An_Eye _for_an_Eye_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:An_Eye_for_an_Eye_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg for rationale -->
====Novels for young adults====
* ''Not So Stupid!: Incredible Short Stories'', The Women's Press, 1990, ISBN-10: 0704349248
* ''Trust Me'', Livewire, 1992, ISBN-10: 0704349310
* ''Words Last Forever'', Mammoth, 1998, ISBN-10: 074972983X
* The [[Noughts & Crosses series]]
**''Noughts & Crosses'',<ref>Also published as ''Black & White'', Simon Pulse, 2007, ISBN-10: 1416900179</ref> Doubleday, 2001, ISBN-10: 0385600089
**''An Eye for an Eye'',<ref>Also published in ''Noughts & Crosses'', Corgi Children's, 2006, ISBN-10: 0552555703</ref> Corgi Children's, 2003, ISBN-10: 0552549258
**''Knife Edge'', Doubleday, 2004, ISBN-10: 0385605277
**''Checkmate'', Doubleday, 2005, ISBN-10: 0385607733
* ''The Stuff of Nightmares'', Doubleday, 2007, ISBN-10: 0385610432
* ''Unheard Voices: An Anthology of Stories and Poems to Commemorate the Bicentenary Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade'', editor Malorie Blackman, Corgi Children's, 2007, ISBN-10: 0552556009
====Short stories for young adults====
* "Humming Through My Fingers" in the multi-author collection ''Shining on: A Collection of Stories in Aid of the Teen Cancer Trust'', Picadilly Press, 2006, ISBN-10: 185340893X
* Short story in the multi-author collection ''The Crew and Other Teen Fiction'', Heinemann Library, ISBN-10: 0431018758
====Novels for children====
* ''Hacker'', Doubleday, 1992, ISBN-10: 0385402783
* ''Operation Gadgetman!'', Doubleday, 1993, ISBN-10: 0385403372
* ''Jack Sweettooth the 73rd'', Viking Children's Books, 1995, ISBN-10: 0670855391
* ''The Space Stowaway'', Ginn, 1995, ISBN-10: 060226393X
* ''Whizziwig'' (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Viking Children's Books, 1995, ISBN-10: 067085705X
* ''Thief!'', Doubleday, 1996, ISBN-10: 0552528080
* ''A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E'', Doubleday, 1997, ISBN-10: 0552528390
* ''Pig-Heart Boy'', Doubleday, 1997, ISBN-10: 0385406819
* ''Animal Avengers'' (illustrated by Bill Greenhead and Stik), Mammoth, 1999, ISBN-10: 0749735570
* ''Dangerous Reality'', Doubleday, 1999, ISBN-10: 0385406800
* ''Don't Be Afraid'' <ref>Originally published 1997</ref> (illustrated by Bob Harvey), Ginn, 1999, ISBN-10 0602275490
* ''Forbidden Game'', Puffin Books, 1999, ISBN-10: 0141303212
* ''Hostage'' <ref>Also published as ''4u2read.ok Hostage'', Barrington Stoke, 2002,
ISBN-10: 184299056X, and as a "Close Look, Quick Look" photocopiable version for teachers, Barrington Stoke, 2004, ISBN-10: 1842992368</ref> (illustrated by Derek Brazell), Barrington Stoke, 1999, ISBN-10: 1902260120
* ''Tell Me No Lies'', Macmillan Children's Books, 1999, ISBN-10: 0333726456
* ''Whizziwig Returns'' (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Puffin, 1999, ISBN-10: 0141304588
* ''Dead Gorgeous'', Doubleday, 2002, ISBN-10: 0385600097
* ''[[Cloud Busting]]'', Doubleday, 2004, ISBN-10: 0385607962
* ''The Deadly Dare Mysteries'' (contents: "Deadly Dare", "Computer Ghost", "Lie Detectives"; illustrated by Neil Chapman), Corgi Children's, 2005, ISBN-10: 0552553530
* ''Whizziwig and Whizziwig Returns'' <ref>Originally published separately as ''Whizziwig'', 1995, and ''Whizzywhig Returns'', 1999</ref> (illustrated by Stephen Lee), Corgi Children's, 2005, ISBN-10: 044086657X
====Short stories for children====
* "Contact" in the multi-author collection ''Out of This World: Stories of Virtual Reality'' (chosen by Wendy Cooling), Dolphin, 1997, ISBN-10: 1858816025
* ''Aesop's Fables'' (retold by Malorie Blackman, illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Scholastic, 1998, ISBN-10 0590543822
* "Dare to be Different" (illustrated by Jane Ray) in the multi-author collection ''Dare to be Different'', Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999, ISBN-10: 0747540217
* "Peacemaker" in the multi-author collection ''Peacemaker and Other Stories'' (illustrated by Peter Richardson and David Hine), Heinemann Educational, 1999, ISBN-10 0435116002
====Books for new readers====
* The Betsey Biggalow stories:
** ''Betsey Biggalow the Detective'' (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1992, ISBN-10: 1853401633
** ''Betsey Biggalow is Here!'' (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1992, ISBN-10: 1853401722
** ''Hurricane Betsey'' (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1993, ISBN-10: 1853401994
** ''Magic Betsey'' (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1994, ISBN-10: 1853402370
** ''Betsey's Birthday Surprise'' (illustrated by Lis Toft), Piccadilly Press, 1996, ISBN-10: 0590558641
* The Girl Wonder series:
** ''Girl Wonder and the Terrific Twins'' (illustrated by Pat Ludlow), Orion Children's Books, 1991, ISBN-10: 0575050489
** ''Girl Wonder's Winter Adventures'' (illustrated by Lis Toft), Orion Children's Books, 1992, ISBN-10: 0575053836
** ''Girl Wonder to the Rescue'' (illustrated by Lis Toft), Gollancz, 1994, ISBN-10 0575057742
** ''The Amazing Adventures of Girl Wonder'' (illustrated by Lis Toft), Barn Owl Books, 2003, ISBN-10: 1903015278
* The Puzzle Planet adventures:
** ''Peril on Planet Pellia'' (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN-10: 1852139358
** ''The Mellion Moon Mystery'' (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN-10: 1852139366
** ''The Secret of the Terrible Hand'' (illustrated by Patrice Aggs), Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN-10: 1860393705
** ''Quasar Quartz Quest'' (illustrated by Patrice Aggs) Orchard Books, 1996, ISBN-10: 1852139382
* The Longman Book Project (with translations to Welsh):
** ''Rachel versus Bonecrusher the Mighty'', Longman, 1994, ISBN-10: 0582121515
** ''Rachel and the Difference Thief'' (illustrated by Kim Harley), Longman, 1994, ISBN-10: 0582121523
** ''Crazy Crocs'' (with Alexander McCall Smith and Sally-Ann Lever), Longman, 1994, ISBN-10: 0582122082
* ''Elaine You're a Brat!'' <ref>Also published as ''Ellie, and the Cat!'', Orchard Books, 2005, ISBN-10: 1843623919</ref> (illustrated by Doffy Weir), Orchard Books, 1991, ISBN-10: 1852133651
* ''My Friend's a Gris-Quok'' (illustrated by Philip Hopman), Scholastic, 1994, ISBN-10: 0590558641
* ''Grandma Gertie's Haunted Handbag'' (illustrated by David Price), Heinemann, 1996, ISBN-10: 0434972258
* ''Space Race'' (illustrated by Colin Mier), Corgi Children's, 1997, ISBN-10: 0552545422
* ''Fangs'' (illustrated by Tony Blundell), Orchard Books, 1998, ISBN-10: 1860397344
* ''Snow Dog'' (illustrated by Sami Sweeten), Corgi Children's, 2001, ISBN-10: 0552547034
* ''The Monster Crisp-Guzzler'' (illustrated by Sami Sweeten), Corgi Children's, 2002, ISBN-10: 0552547832
* ''Sinclair, Wonder Bear'' (illustrated by Deborah Allwright), Egmont Books, 2003, ISBN-10: 140520589X
====Picture books====
* ''That New Dress'' <ref>Also published as ''A New Dress for Maya'', Gary Stevens Publishing, 1992, ISBN-10: 0836807138</ref> (illustrated by Rhian Nest James), Hodder Wayland, 1991, ISBN-10: 0750004428
* ''Mrs Spoon's Family'' (illustrated by Jan McCafferty), Andersen Press, 1995, ISBN-10: 0862645824
* ''Dizzy's Walk'' (illustrated by Pamela Venus), Tamarind, 1999, ISBN-10: 1870516419
* ''Marty Monster'' (illustrated by Kim Harley), Tamarind, 1999, ISBN-10: 1870516427
* ''I Want a Cuddle!'' (illustrated by Joanne Partis), Orchard Books, 2001, ISBN-10: 1841218235
* ''Jessica Strange'' (with Alison Bartlett), Hodder Children's Books, 2002, ISBN-10: 0340779632
* Contributed to ''A Christmas Tree of Stories'', Scholastic Press, 1999, ISBN-10: 0439011922
===Television scripts===
* Episodes of ''[[Byker Grove]]''
* Episodes of ''[[Whizziwig]]''
* Episodes of ''[[Pig Heart Boy]]''
===Stage plays===
* 2002, ''The Amazing Birthday''
==Awards and nominations==
[[Image:Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman.jpg|thumb|180px|right|The cover of the 2004, first edition, hardcover of ''Knife Edge'']] <!-- FAIR USE of Image:Knife_Edge_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Knife_Edge_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg for rationale -->
===Body of work===
* 1997, Excelle/Write Thing Children's Author of the Year Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 2005, Children's Book Circle's [[Eleanor Farjeon]] Award.<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
===Novels===
====For ''Hacker'' (1992)====
* 1994, W.H. Smith Mind Boggling Book of the Year Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 1994, Young Telegraph/Gimme 5 Children's Book of the Year Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 1995, Birmingham/TSB Children's Book Award (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
====For ''Thief!'' (1996)====
* 1996, Young Telegraph/Fully Booked Children's Book of the Year Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
====For ''A.N.T.I.D.O.T.E'' (1997)====
* 1997, Stockport Children's Book of the Year Award (Key Stage 3 category).<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 1997, [[Stockton-on-Tees Children's Book Award]] (shortlisted).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 1998, Sheffield Children's Book Award (highly commended).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2001, Stockport Schools Book Award (shortlisted).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
====For ''Pig-Heart Boy'' (1997)====
* 1998, [[Carnegie Medal]] (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 1998, UKRA Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 1999, [[Lancashire Children's Book of the Year]] (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 1999, Wirral Paperback of the Year Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/><ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
====For ''Tell Me No Lies'' (1999)====
* 2000, Stockport Children's Book Award (shortlisted) (Key Stage 4 category).<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/><ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
====For ''Dead Gorgeous'' (2002)====
* 2003, Calderdale Book of the Year (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2003, Salford Children's Book Award (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
[[Image:Checkmate by Malorie Blackman.jpg|thumb|180px|right|The cover of the 2005, first edition, hardcover of ''Checkmate'']] <!-- FAIR USE of Image:Ceckmate_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Checkmate_by_Malorie_Blackman.jpg for rationale -->
====For books in the ''Noughts & Crosses'' series====
* 2002, [[Lancashire Children's Book of the Year]].<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/><ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2002, [[Red House Children's Book Award]].<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/><ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2002, Sheffield Children's Book Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/><ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2003, Wirral Paperback of the Year Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/><ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2004, Fantastic Fiction Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 2005, Berkshire Book Award (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2005, [[Lancashire Children's Book of the Year]] (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2005, Redbridge Teenage Book Award (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2006, [[Lancashire Children's Book of the Year]] (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2006, Staffordshire Young People's Book of the Year.<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
====For ''Cloud Busting'' (2004)====
* 2004, [[Nestlé Smarties Book Prize]] (Silver Award) (6-8 years category).<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 2005, Redbridge Children's Book Award (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2005, Stockport Schools Book Award (shortlisted).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2006, Nottingham Children's Book Award (shortlist) (10-11 years category).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2006, West Sussex Children's Book Award (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
===Television adaptations===
====For ''Pig-Heart Boy''====
* 2000, [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA]] Best Drama.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/><ref name="multiple awards (second)"/>
* 2000, Race and Media Best Drama Award.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 2000, [[Royal Television Society]] Award (Children's Drama category).<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 2001, Chicago TV Festival (shortlist).<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
* 2001, Prix Danube Children's Jury Prize.<ref name="multiple awards (first)"/>
==See also==
* [[Noughts & Crosses series]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.malorieblackman.co.uk/ Malorie Blackman's official website]
* {{isfdb name}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/downloads/blastcasts/malorie_blackman.shtml Watch a video podcast of Malorie's writing tips by BBC Blast]
* {{contemporary writers|id=519D6BC107d6922CB1VoU30CEDE6}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/writing/people/malorie_blackman.shtml Interview with Malorie Blackman at the BBC]
* [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1006827.ece An article about Malorie Blackman at Times Online]
<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME=Blackman, Malorie
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=[[Author]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[8 February]] [[1962]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackman, Malorie}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British children's writers]]
[[Category:British science fiction writers]]
[[Category:British television writers]]
[[Category:British dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:British women writers]]
[[Category:Women novelists]]
[[Category:Women television writers]]
[[Category:Women short story writers]]
[[Category:Women dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:People from London]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[de:Malorie Blackman]]
[[fr:Malorie Blackman]]