Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 52 (2016) Winner
Alex Wheatle
アレックス・ウィートル
Arekkusu Wītoru
Aliases:
Alex Alphonso Wheatle
Pen Names:
The Brixton Bard（Pen name）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1963-01-03 （London, England）
- Died
- 2025-03-16 （London） age 62
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Shirley Oaks Children's Home, Croydon → Brixton, south London → London
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist
- Active Years
- 1999-2025
- Affiliations
- English PEN
- Memberships
- English PEN
- Influenced By
- C. L. R. James, Chester Himes, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Charles Dickens, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Linton Kwesi Johnson, John Steinbeck
- Nominations
- Carnegie Medal longlist (Liccle Bit, 2016), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis nomination (Cane Warriors, 2024)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) | — | — | UK Government | 受賞 |
| 1999 | London Arts Board New Writers Award | Brixton Rock | — | London Arts Board | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Guardian Children's Fiction Prize | Crongton Knights | — | The Guardian | 受賞 |
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
2008
Organization:
UK Government
Result:
受賞
London Arts Board New Writers Award
1999
Work:
Brixton Rock
Organization:
London Arts Board
Result:
受賞
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
2016
Work:
Crongton Knights
Organization:
The Guardian
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Brixton Rock
1999 Urban novelDebut novel depicting youth life and crime in Brixton.
BrixtonYouthBlack community
Adaptations
- [Stage] Brixton Rock (2010)
Crongton Knights
2016 Young adult novelStory of boys' friendship and violence in Crongton estate. Winner of Guardian Prize.
GangsFriendshipUrban life
Adaptations
- [TV series] Crongton (2025)
Cane Warriors
2020 Historical young adult novelNovel about Jamaican slave rebellion.
Slave rebellionJamaican historyResistance
Bibliography
- Brixton Rock
- East of Acre Lane
- The Seven Sisters
- Checkers
- Island Songs
- The Dirty South
- Brenton Brown
- Liccle Bit
- Crongton Knights
- Straight Outta Crongton
- Uprising
- Nicolas Cage
- Home Boys
- Home Girl
- Cane Warriors
- Cringel
- Kemosha of the Caribbean
- Sufferah: Memoir of a Brixton Reggae Head
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Poetic and rhythmicUnique remaking of EnglishVerve-filled
- Recurring Motifs
- Brixton riotsCare home lifeBlack British experienceReggae culture
Health
-
Prostate cancer2023-2025Campigned for Prostate Cancer UK. Died in 2025.
Legacy
Known as the 'Brixton Bard', a major voice in Black British literature. Life story featured in Steve McQueen's film, acclaimed in YA literature.
In Popular Culture
- Life depicted in Steve McQueen's Alex Wheatle (2020, Small Axe series)
Trivia
- Arrested during 1981 Brixton riots; discovered literature in prison from Rastafarian cellmate.
- DJ name Yardman Irie, founding member of Crucial Rocker soundsystem.
- Has three children.