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Monique Roffey

モニーク・ロフィー

Monique Roffey

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1965 （Port of Spain, Trinidad）
Nationality
Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Religion
Triratna Buddhist Community
Residence History
Port of Spain, Trinidad → London, United Kingdom → Manchester, United Kingdom

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Memoirist, Professor, Creative writing tutor
Active Years
2002-
Affiliations
Manchester Metropolitan University (Professor), Arvon Foundation (Centre Director, 2002–2006)
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature (Fellow), Writers Rebel (co-founder, within Extinction Rebellion), Triratna Buddhist Community (mitra)
Influenced By
Olive Senior (writer)
Influenced
Emerging Caribbean writers (influenced through teaching and workshops)
Nominations
Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly Orange Prize) 2010: The White Woman on the Green Bicycle (shortlisted), Encore Award 2011: The White Woman on the Green Bicycle (shortlisted), Goldsmiths Prize 2020: The Mermaid of Black Conch (shortlisted), Rathbones/Folio Prize 2021: The Mermaid of Black Conch (shortlisted), Republic of Consciousness Prize 2021: The Mermaid of Black Conch (shortlisted), Orion Book Award 2014: Archipelago (shortlisted), OCM Bocas Prize 2015: House of Ashes (longlisted)

Education

University of East Anglia
English and Film Studies
Degree: BA
Period: 1984–1987
Year of Graduation: 1987
Country: United Kingdom
Studied English and Film Studies; graduated in 1987.
Lancaster University
Creative Writing (postgraduate)
Degree: MA, PhD
Country: United Kingdom
Completed an MA and PhD in Creative Writing (years not specified).

Awards

OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature (overall & fiction)
2013
Work: Archipelago
Category: fiction
Organization: OCM Bocas Prize / Bocas Lit Fest
Result: winner
Costa Book Award for Novel
2020
Work: The Mermaid of Black Conch
Category: novel
Organization: Costa Book Awards
Result: winner
Costa Book of the Year
2021
Work: The Mermaid of Black Conch
Organization: Costa Book Awards
Result: winner
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2022
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: honour

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Sun Dog

2002 Magical realism / Literary fiction

A magical-realist tale set in west London about psychological estrangement and loss of identity.

alienationidentitymagical realism

The White Woman on the Green Bicycle

2009 Historical fiction / Postcolonial

Set in post-independence Trinidad, it follows European ex-colonials and their process of creolisation.

colonialismcreolisationfamily and memory

Archipelago

2012 Climate fiction / Literary fiction

Examines climate change and loss from the perspective of a man from the southern Caribbean, set after a flood.

climate changeloss and redemptionCaribbean sense of place

House of Ashes

2014 Political fiction / Fictionalised history

A fictionalised account of events surrounding the 1990 attempted coup in Trinidad.

politicsviolencehistorical memory

The Tryst

2017 Erotic fiction / Magical realism

Revisits the tale of Lilith to examine celibacy within marriage, blending eroticism and myth.

desiremarital celibacymythic elements

The Mermaid of Black Conch

2020 Magical realism / Literary fiction

A Caribbean tale of a cursed mermaid exploring humanity, love, violence and connection to place.

mermaidsviolence and loveland and memory
Adaptations
  • [Film (rights optioned)] The Mermaid of Black Conch

Passiontide

2024 Political/social fiction / Feminist novel

Inspired by a real-life femicide case; critiques relationships between religion, sexism and colonialism.

feminismviolencereligion and power

With the Kisses of His Mouth

2011 Memoir / Non-fiction

A candid memoir of a mid-life quest for sexual liberation and self-identification.

sexualityself-discoveryfeminism

Bibliography

  • Sun Dog (2002)
  • The White Woman on the Green Bicycle (2009)
  • With the Kisses of His Mouth (2011, memoir)
  • Archipelago (2012)
  • House of Ashes (2014)
  • The Tryst (2017)
  • The Mermaid of Black Conch (2020)
  • Passiontide (2024)
  • Editor: The Global Village, Tell Tales (2009)

Adaptations

  • Film rights for The Mermaid of Black Conch have been optioned and a screen adaptation is in development.

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Blend of magical realism and postmodern narrative techniquesMixes autobiographical elements with historical fact
Recurring Motifs
mermaidssex and desirealienation and othernessCaribbean landscape and memory

Legacy

Monique Roffey is internationally recognised for her Caribbean-rooted, magical-realist writing. Her prize-winning work and active mentoring have made her an influential figure in contemporary Caribbean literature.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature

In Popular Culture

  • Her work was featured on BBC Radio 4's 'A Book at Bedtime'.

Quotes

  • "...it breaks entirely new ground. It is a major contribution to the New Wave of Caribbean writing: energetic, uncompromising, bold in the choice of narrative devices and a great read."
    Source: Olive Senior (blurb/review) (2009)

Trivia

  • Born in Trinidad and holds dual nationality (Trinidad and Tobago; United Kingdom).
  • Founded the St James Writers' Room in Port of Spain in 2014 to support emerging writers.
  • Co-founder of Writers Rebel, a writers' group within Extinction Rebellion.