Reality and Fiction Intertwined
Andrea Levy’s pieces of writing are emblematic of who she is and her background. Born in 1956 in London, she was thrust into a world of racism growing up black in white England. According to her personal website, this has “given her a complex perspective on the country of her birth” (“Biography”). This complexity is evidenced in her myriad writings which fuse her reality and the art of fiction.
Her father was among the first wave of Jamaican migrants to arrive in England on the SS Windrush in 1948 and her mother soon joined (Lima). When Levy began her schooling experience, she was taught to be English. At times, she was embarrassed to be Jamaican. In an article entitled “This is my England,” Levy states that fellow students “didn't want to know about the sun, the sugar cane, the rum punch. They didn't want to try our rice and peas.” Yet, Levy persevered through this to discover her academic voice and do well in grammar school. She is what many to believe the model for what immigrant families strive to achieve (Gerard).
It was while studying in college that Levy began to realize the racial hierarchies at play in London (Younge). Levy attended Middlesex Polytechnic for textile design and weaving and graduated in 1978. As she grew to know the world around her, her “growing political awareness drew Levy to literature.” As she read Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Maya Angelou, she searched for a similar black female voice in British literature. In 1988, Levy participated in an advanced writing workshop at the City Literary Institute. For a while, she began to take a day off of work to focus on her writing career (Lima).
More black people began to immigrate to London. With this immigration, Levy developed a curiosity of her parents’ homeland (Gerard). She traveled to Jamaica in 1989 and upon returning to London, she was moved to write her first novel. Every Light in the House Burnin’ was published in 1994 and Never Far from Nowhere was published in 1996. Both deal with identity and the struggle between being black and English (Lima).
Another breakthrough in her writing came in 1998 when she was granted an Arts Council Writers’ Award to support her creative writing. Her third novel, Fruit of the Lemon, published in 1999, tells the story of a female character who travels to Jamaica to uncover her family’s history (Lima). Indeed, Levy’s life is infused within her writing.
In 2002, she married Mayblin and helped raise his two daughters. Yet, Levy has always seen her books as her offspring (Lima). Adjusting to life, Levy published her fourth book, Small Island, in 2004. For the first time, Levy wrote from both the black and white perspectives from the great immigration period of black people into England. Small Island has been extremely successful as it “earned the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction, the 2004 Whitbread Novel-of-the-Year Award, the 2005 Commonwealth Best Book/Eurasia Region, the 2005 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book, and the 2005 ‘Orange of Oranges’ Prize” (Lima).
Her latest novel, The Long Song, explores the close relationship between Britain and the Caribbean in the early 19th century (“Biography”). Her works have often required her to not only have writing abilities, but also to have historical research skills (Lima). Upon being interviewed, Levy states that, “Jamaica didn’t have much of a history of its own” (Gerard). Like many authors, Levy infuses her history with her writing. With reading and continuing to write fiction, she learned of its power. She realized that, with fiction, “You can be ambitious, you can take on the world—you really can” (Younge).
Works Cited
“Biography.” Andrea Levy. Web. 8 Sept. 2010.
Gerard, Jasper. Interview with Andrea Levy. The Times 13 June 2004. Web.
Levy, Andrea. “This is my England.” The Guardian 19 February 2000. Web.
Lima, Maria Helena. “Andrea Levy.” Twenty-First-Century "Black" British Writers. Ed. R. Victoria Arana.
Detroit, MI: 2009. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 347. Web. 8 Sept. 2010.
Younge, Gary. Interview with Andrea Levy. The Guardian 30 January 2010. Web.
Her father was among the first wave of Jamaican migrants to arrive in England on the SS Windrush in 1948 and her mother soon joined (Lima). When Levy began her schooling experience, she was taught to be English. At times, she was embarrassed to be Jamaican. In an article entitled “This is my England,” Levy states that fellow students “didn't want to know about the sun, the sugar cane, the rum punch. They didn't want to try our rice and peas.” Yet, Levy persevered through this to discover her academic voice and do well in grammar school. She is what many to believe the model for what immigrant families strive to achieve (Gerard).
It was while studying in college that Levy began to realize the racial hierarchies at play in London (Younge). Levy attended Middlesex Polytechnic for textile design and weaving and graduated in 1978. As she grew to know the world around her, her “growing political awareness drew Levy to literature.” As she read Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Maya Angelou, she searched for a similar black female voice in British literature. In 1988, Levy participated in an advanced writing workshop at the City Literary Institute. For a while, she began to take a day off of work to focus on her writing career (Lima).
More black people began to immigrate to London. With this immigration, Levy developed a curiosity of her parents’ homeland (Gerard). She traveled to Jamaica in 1989 and upon returning to London, she was moved to write her first novel. Every Light in the House Burnin’ was published in 1994 and Never Far from Nowhere was published in 1996. Both deal with identity and the struggle between being black and English (Lima).
Another breakthrough in her writing came in 1998 when she was granted an Arts Council Writers’ Award to support her creative writing. Her third novel, Fruit of the Lemon, published in 1999, tells the story of a female character who travels to Jamaica to uncover her family’s history (Lima). Indeed, Levy’s life is infused within her writing.
In 2002, she married Mayblin and helped raise his two daughters. Yet, Levy has always seen her books as her offspring (Lima). Adjusting to life, Levy published her fourth book, Small Island, in 2004. For the first time, Levy wrote from both the black and white perspectives from the great immigration period of black people into England. Small Island has been extremely successful as it “earned the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction, the 2004 Whitbread Novel-of-the-Year Award, the 2005 Commonwealth Best Book/Eurasia Region, the 2005 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book, and the 2005 ‘Orange of Oranges’ Prize” (Lima).
Her latest novel, The Long Song, explores the close relationship between Britain and the Caribbean in the early 19th century (“Biography”). Her works have often required her to not only have writing abilities, but also to have historical research skills (Lima). Upon being interviewed, Levy states that, “Jamaica didn’t have much of a history of its own” (Gerard). Like many authors, Levy infuses her history with her writing. With reading and continuing to write fiction, she learned of its power. She realized that, with fiction, “You can be ambitious, you can take on the world—you really can” (Younge).
Works Cited
“Biography.” Andrea Levy. Web. 8 Sept. 2010.
Gerard, Jasper. Interview with Andrea Levy. The Times 13 June 2004. Web.
Levy, Andrea. “This is my England.” The Guardian 19 February 2000. Web.
Lima, Maria Helena. “Andrea Levy.” Twenty-First-Century "Black" British Writers. Ed. R. Victoria Arana.
Detroit, MI: 2009. Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 347. Web. 8 Sept. 2010.
Younge, Gary. Interview with Andrea Levy. The Guardian 30 January 2010. Web.
