Diran Adebayo

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Diran Adebayo is an acclaimed British novelist, critic and broadcaster best known for his vivid portrayals of modern London life and his distinctive use of language. His debut novel, Some Kind of Black, was one of the first to articulate a British-African/ black-British perspective, and it won him numerous awards, including the Writers Guild of Great Britain's New Writer of the Year Award, the 1996 Saga Prize, and a Betty Trask Award. It was also serialised on British Radio and is now a Virago Modern Classic. His follow-up, the private eye fable My Once Upon A Time, fused film noir and fairytale with Yoruba myth to striking effect, and solidified his reputation as a pioneer. His third novel, The Ballad of Dizzy and Miss P is scheduled for publication in 2009. In 2004 he co-edited 'New Writing 12', the British Council's annual anthology of British and Commonwealth literature.

Born in London in 1968, Diran Adebayo won a major scholarship to Malvern public school and is an Oxford Law graduate. He worked as a journalist at The Voice newspaper and as a reporter on BBC television before his manuscript for 'Some Kind of Black' won the 'Saga Prize'. He has also been a columnist for 'New Nation' newspaper, and is a regular presence in the British press, writing for newspapers such as The Guardian, 'The Independent and 'The New Statesman' magazine. In 2005, he wrote the documentary, 'Black Icons' for BBC Television and in 2003, 'The Evening Standard' named him one of London's 50 most influential people.

Diran Adebayo lives in London and is the younger brother of the writer, journalist, publisher and broadcaster Dotun Adebayo.

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Persondata
NAME Adebayo, Diran
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Author
DATE OF BIRTH 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH