James Tait Black Memorial Prizes
1 appearances
-
Edition 73 (1991) Winner
Iain Sinclair
イェイン・シンクレア
Iain Sinclair
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1943-06-11 （Cardiff, Wales）
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Haggerston, London (Hackney) → St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex → East London (residence / base of activity)
Career
- Occupations
- writer, filmmaker, poet, editor, bookseller
- Active Years
- 1967-
- Memberships
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
- Influenced By
- Edward Dorn, J. H. Prynne, Douglas Oliver, Peter Ackroyd
- Influenced
- Will Self, Subsequent psychogeography writers focusing on London
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham College | — | — | — | 1956–1961 | United Kingdom |
| Trinity College, Dublin | — | — | — | — | Ireland |
| Courtauld Institute of Art | — | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
| London Film School (formerly London School of Film Technique) | — | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
Cheltenham College
Period:
1956–1961
Country:
United Kingdom
Boarding school secondary education
Trinity College, Dublin
Country:
Ireland
Edited the magazine Icarus while a student
Courtauld Institute of Art
Country:
United Kingdom
Attended for studies in art history
London Film School (formerly London School of Film Technique)
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied film-making / film technique
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | James Tait Black Memorial Prize | Downriver | — | University of Edinburgh (James Tait Black prize) | 受賞 |
| 1992 | Encore Award | Downriver | — | Encore (UK) | 受賞 |
| 2009 | Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) | — | — | Royal Society of Literature | 選出 |
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
1991
Work:
Downriver
Organization:
University of Edinburgh (James Tait Black prize)
Result:
受賞
Encore Award
1992
Work:
Downriver
Organization:
Encore (UK)
Result:
受賞
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL)
2009
Organization:
Royal Society of Literature
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Encore Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (1992) Winner
Works
Major Works
Downriver
1991 novelA novel imagining the UK under an exaggerated authoritarian rule; noted for political satire and urban dystopian elements.
political satireurban decaydystopia
Lights Out for the Territory
1997 essays / non-fictionA series of essays exploring the secret history of London, blending novelistic elements with documentary reportage.
psychogeographytopography of Londonmemory and forgetting
London Orbital
2002 non-fiction / travelogueBased on walks around the M25 orbital motorway, documenting the changing nature of London and its periphery; accompanied by a documentary film.
urban changewalking and documentationLondon's periphery
Adaptations
- [documentary film] London Orbital / Chris Petit (2002)
The Last London
2017 essays / non-fictionA work recording London's recent transformations and the vanishing traces of the city; seen as a culmination of his psychogeographical writing.
memoryloss of the citycommercialisation of heritage
The Gold Machine
2021 travelogue / documentary-relatedA book stemming from a journey to Peru to retrace his great-grandfather's travels; accompanied by a film and other artistic responses.
exploration and ancestral tracingimperial memoryfieldwork
Adaptations
- [film] The Gold Machine / Grant Gee (2022)
Bibliography
- Back Garden Poems (1970)
- The Kodak Mantra Diaries (1971)
- Lud Heat (1975)
- Suicide Bridge (1979)
- White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings (1987)
- Downriver (1991)
- Lights Out for the Territory (1997)
- London Orbital (2002)
- Edge of the Orison (2005)
- Ghost Milk (2011)
- The Last London (2017)
- The Gold Machine (2021)
- Fifty Catacomb Saints (2022)
- The London Adventures: House of Flies (2023)
Adaptations
- London Orbital (2002 documentary film)
- The Gold Machine (2022 film)
- Swandown (2012 film) appearance
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- psychogeography-rooted essayistic and prose-poetry stylefragmentary, montage-like narrationblurring the lines between non-fiction and fiction
- Recurring Motifs
- topography and memory of Londonrediscovery of forgotten writers and historieswalking and urban explorationpsychogeography
Legacy
Iain Sinclair is a leading figure in psychogeographical writing about London, acclaimed for excavating the city's memories and hidden histories. Through essays, poetry, fiction and filmmaking he has had a significant influence on urban literature.
Academic Societies
- Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)
Archives
- Various London archives (hold related materials)
- Library of Congress (holds library records)
In Popular Culture
- Media presence through documentary films and film appearances
- Influence via walking tours and public talks about London
Quotes
-
"I don’t think there is any more than can be said. The topic has outlived its usefulness and become a brand."
Source: 2016 interview (2016)
Trivia
- Born in Cardiff in 1943.
- Early poetry was often published by his own small press, Albion Village Press.
- His novel Downriver won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Encore Award.
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2009.