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Marlon James

マーロン・ジェームズ

Marlon James

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1970-11-24 （Kingston, Jamaica (Surrey County)）
Nationality
Jamaica
Languages
English
Residence History
Jamaica (Kingston) → Minneapolis, Minnesota (resides) → Saint Paul (works at Macalester College)

Career

Occupations
novelist, writer, college lecturer, screenwriter
Active Years
2002-
Affiliations
Macalester College, St. Francis College - Low Residency MFA (faculty lecturer)
Influenced By
Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Salman Rushdie, Ben Okri, Comics (e.g. Hellboy)

Education

University of the West Indies
Language and Literature
Degree: 学士
Year of Graduation: 1991
Country: Jamaica
Studied Language and Literature
Wilkes University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree: 修士（MFA）
Year of Graduation: 2006
Country: United States
Received an MFA in Creative Writing

Awards

Man Booker Prize (Fiction)
2015
Work: A Brief History of Seven Killings
Category: Fiction
Organization: The Booker Prizes
Result: Won
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature
2015
Work: A Brief History of Seven Killings
Category: Fiction
Organization: Bocas Lit Fest
Result: Won
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
2015
Work: A Brief History of Seven Killings
Category: Fiction
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: Won
American Book Awards
2015
Work: A Brief History of Seven Killings
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: Won
Dayton Literary Peace Prize
2010
Work: The Book of Night Women
Category: Fiction
Organization: Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Result: Won
Minnesota Book Awards
2010
Work: Minnesota Book Awards (state award)
Category: Novel & Short Story
Organization: Minnesota Book Awards
Result: Won
National Book Critics Circle Award (Finalist)
2009
Work: The Book of Night Women
Category: Fiction
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: Finalist
Lambda Literary Awards (Finalist)
2019
Work: Black Leopard, Red Wolf
Category: Speculative Fiction
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Finalist
NAACP Image Awards (Finalist)
2022
Work: Moon Witch, Spider King
Category: Fiction
Organization: NAACP Image Awards
Result: Finalist
Silver Musgrave Medal
2013
Organization: Institute of Jamaica
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

John Crow's Devil

2005 Fiction (Caribbean gothic) 226 pages

Set in a remote Jamaican village in 1957, the novel portrays a biblical struggle of good and evil in a Caribbean gothic mode, exploring guilt, hypocrisy and the lingering ghosts of colonialism.

religion and faithconflict of good and evillegacy of colonialismcollective psychology

The Book of Night Women

2009 Historical fiction 417 pages

Set on an early 19th-century Jamaican plantation, it follows Lilith, a slave woman involved in a revolt, exploring power, sexuality and the complexities of resistance.

slavery and resistancefemale agencyfolk spirituality (Obeah, Myal)sex and violence

A Brief History of Seven Killings

2014 Polyphonic fiction / Historical novel 688 pages

A multi-narrator novel spanning decades of Jamaican history and political turmoil, examining violence, identity and transnational forces through a chorus of voices.

violence and crimepolitical instabilityidentitytransnational influences (music, drugs, politics)

Black Leopard, Red Wolf

2019 Epic fantasy 620 pages

An epic fantasy quest set in a mythic version of ancient Africa, full of monsters, magic, sex and violence, following a searcher on a dangerous mission.

myth and folklorepower and betrayalviolence and desirequest narrative
Adaptations
  • [Film (rights acquired)] Black Leopard, Red Wolf (film project)

Moon Witch, Spider King

2022 Fantasy 626 pages

Sequel to Black Leopard, Red Wolf that further explores the mythic world, power structures, fate and magical cosmology of the series.

fate and powermagic and symbolismindividual vs collective narratives

Bibliography

  • John Crow's Devil (2005)
  • The Book of Night Women (2009)
  • A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014)
  • Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019)
  • Moon Witch, Spider King (2022)

Adaptations

  • Get Millie Black (TV series, HBO / Channel 4, 2024)
  • Black Leopard, Red Wolf (film rights acquired by Warner Bros. / Outlier Society, in development)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
polyphonic (multiple narrators)explicit and often brutal depictions of violencelyrical and formally experimental proseuse of dialect (Jamaican Patois) and multiple registers
Recurring Motifs
religion and the supernaturallegacy of colonialismviolence and revengesearch for identitymusic and popular culture (reggae)

Legacy

Marlon James gained international prominence after winning the 2015 Man Booker Prize—the first Jamaican to do so—and has expanded possibilities in Caribbean and contemporary Anglophone literature. His provocative, polyphonic and often violent style has provoked debate while earning significant critical acclaim.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature (International Writer, 2024)
  • Institute of Jamaica (honours)

In Popular Culture

  • Increased media attention from film-rights acquisition of Black Leopard, Red Wolf
  • TV series Get Millie Black released on HBO/Channel 4 (2024/2025)

Quotes

  • The reggae singers Bob Marley and Peter Tosh were the first to recognize that the voice coming out our mouths was a legitimate voice for fiction and for poetry.
    Source: Man Booker Prize acceptance speech (2015) (2015)
  • Its prose was so audacious, its reality so unhinged, that you didn't see at first how pointedly political and just plain furious it was. It made me realize that the present was something I could write my way out of.
    Source: New York Times Magazine essay 'From Jamaica to Minnesota to Myself' (2015) (2015)

Trivia

  • His debut novel John Crow's Devil was rejected over 70 times before being published.
  • He was the first Jamaican to win the Man Booker Prize (2015).
  • Has taught English and creative writing at Macalester College since 2007.
  • Co-hosts the literary podcast 'Marlon and Jake Read Dead People'.
  • Wrote the TV series Get Millie Black for HBO and Channel 4 (released 2024/2025).