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Joan Brady

ジョーン・ブレイディ

Joan Brady

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1939-12-04 （San Francisco, California, United States）
Died
2024-06-13 （Oxford, England, United Kingdom） age 84
Nationality
United States, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Residence History
San Francisco, California, United States (birthplace) → New York City, New York, United States (studied at Columbia University; danced with New York City Ballet) → England (moved in 1965; lived in Totnes and later Oxford)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Novelist, Autobiographer, Former ballet dancer
Active Years
1979-2024

Education

Columbia University
Philosophy / Department of Philosophy
Period: 1960年代
Country: United States
Exact years of attendance not specified

Awards

Whitbread Book of the Year
Work: Theory of War
Category: Book of the Year
Organization: Whitbread Book Awards (now Costa Book Awards)
Result: 受賞
Whitbread Novel of the Year
Work: Theory of War
Category: Novel of the Year
Organization: Whitbread Book Awards (now Costa Book Awards)
Result: 受賞
Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
Work: Theory of War
Organization: Unknown
Result: 受賞
National Endowment for the Arts grant
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
Result: 受領

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Impostor

1979 Novel

Her first published book, released in 1979; served as her debut as an author.

identity

The Unmaking of a Dancer

1982 Autobiography

An autobiography recounting her career as a dancer and aspects of her personal life; published in the UK as 'Prologue: An Unconventional Life'.

danceself-reinventionfamily

Theory of War

1993 Novel

Her best-known work, widely acclaimed by critics and reported to have won the Whitbread Novel of the Year and Whitbread Book of the Year awards.

familytraumapolitical themes

Death Comes For Peter Pan

1995 Novel (social exposé)

A novel that exposes medical abuse in the United States, addressing institutional problems within healthcare.

medical malpracticeinstitutional abuse

The Emigré

1999 Novel / Adventure

Follows the adventures of a conman, using his schemes and travels to explore aspects of society.

con artistrytravelidentity

Bleedout

2005 Thriller / Crime fiction

Her first thriller, set against a backdrop of political and corporate corruption; follows a murder and the characters connected to it. She began writing crime fiction during a legal dispute over noxious fumes that resulted in a settlement.

corruptioncrimejustice

Venom

2010 Thriller

A sequel to 'Bleedout' that introduces themes of pharmaceutical ruthlessness in the pursuit of a cure for radiation poisoning.

pharmaceutical industryethicsradiation safety

The Blue Death

2012 Thriller / Crime novel

Published in 2012; a work that deals with crime and public-health-related themes.

crimepublic health

America’s Dreyfus: The Case Nixon Rigged

2015 Non-fiction / Investigative

An investigative non-fiction book discussing alleged rigging by the Nixon administration and related political injustices.

politicshistoryjudicial injustice

Bibliography

  • The Impostor
  • The Unmaking of a Dancer (aka Prologue: An Unconventional Life)
  • Theory of War
  • Death Comes For Peter Pan
  • The Emigré
  • Bleedout
  • Venom
  • The Blue Death
  • America’s Dreyfus: The Case Nixon Rigged

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Psychologically observant proseRealist depiction of social and political issuesNarrative incorporating suspense elements
Recurring Motifs
family and past traumapower and corruptioncritique of medical and public-health institutions

Health

  • Sepsis (leading to heart attack)
    2024
    Died in June 2024 after a heart attack brought on by sepsis

Legacy

Joan Brady received international recognition for 'Theory of War' in the 1990s and is noted as the first woman and first American to win the Whitbread Book of the Year. Her body of work spans autobiography, socially conscious fiction, and later thrillers, attracting critical attention in both the UK and the US.

Quotes

  • "a modern work of genius"
    Source: The Spectator (review by Warwick Collins) (1994)

Trivia

  • Originally trained and performed as a ballet dancer with the San Francisco Ballet and the New York City Ballet.
  • Married writer Dexter Masters in 1963; contemporary reports note he had been her mother's former lover.
  • Moved to England in 1965 and later lived in Oxford.
  • Reportedly the first woman and first American to win the Whitbread Book of the Year for 'Theory of War'.
  • Was involved in a legal dispute over noxious fumes from a nearby shoemaker and received a settlement; this experience contributed to her turn to crime fiction.