Jamila Gavin
Jamila Gavin (Born
August 9,
1941) is a British writer born in
Mursoorie,
India in the foothills of the
Himalayas near the border with
Pakistan.
Her father was Indian and her mother English. She learned to describe herself as "half and half." On her website she says that from her mixed background "I inherited two rich cultures which ran side by side throughout my life, and which always made me feel I belonged to both countries".
She first visited England when she was five, and settled there when she was 11. She worked in the music department of the
BBC before becoming a writer.
She wrote her first book after her first child was born because she became aware that there were few children's books reflecting their experience as multi-racial children. She has also written books reflecting her childhood in India, particularly her Surya Trilogy.
She now lives in
Gloucestershire.
The
Surya trilogy, is an epic story following the fortunes of two generations of an
Indian Sikh family showing the impact of the
British Empire and the
Partition of India on their lives. The three volumes are
The wheel of Surya (1992),
The eye of the horse (1994) and
The track of the wind (1997). All three books were shortlisted for the Guardian Children's fiction Award for which
The Wheel of Surya was special runner up in 1993.
Coram Boy won the 2000
Whitbread Prize for a children's book. It is set in the 18th century, based on the
Foundling Hospital established by sea captain
Thomas Coram.
Coram boy has been dramatised by
Helen Edmundson and staged in a highly praised production by the
National Theatre.
Grandpa Chatterji A series for younger children
Grandpa Chatterji was adapted for television in 1997. Other books in the series are
Grandpa Chatterji's third eye and
Grandpa's Indian Summer*
Jamila Gavin's Homepage*
British Council Arts: Contemporary Writers*
Coram Boy at the National Theatre*
Stageworks: The National Theatre's educational website for Coram Boy
