Gareth Russell (author)
Gareth Russell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | |
| Genre | History, historical fiction, young-adult fiction |
| Notable works | Do Let's Have Another Drink The Ship of Dreams Young and Damned and Fair |
Gareth Russell is a Northern Irish historian, author, and broadcaster.
Early life and education[edit]
Gareth Russell was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He attended Down High Grammar School, and later graduated from St Peter's College, Oxford, where he studied modern history.[1] Russell completed a Master's degree in medieval history at Queen's University, Belfast. He currently divides his time between Belfast, London and New York.[2]
Career[edit]
Russell is the author of a series of plays.[3] In July 2011, his first novel Popular was published by Penguin, as the first in a new series of novels following the lives of a group of Belfast teenagers. It was published in German in 2014.[4] A sequel to Popular, titled The Immaculate Deception, was published in November 2012. Both novels were subsequently adapted for the stage in Northern Ireland, followed by a final theatrical sequel, Say You'll Remember Me, which received its first performance in 2016.[5]
In August 2014, Russell's first non-fiction book, The Emperors: How Europe's Rulers were Destroyed by World War One, was published by Amberley Publishing.[6] In 2017, his biography of English queen consort Catherine Howard was published, based on research undertaken between 2010 and 2016.[7] It was published by Simon & Schuster in the US and Canada, and HarperCollins in the UK, Ireland, and most of the Commonwealth. It was a finalist for the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography award in 2017, which was won that year by Edmund Gordon's biography of Angela Carter.[8] In 2019, his account of the Titanic disaster was published.[9] It was named a Book of the Year by The Times[10] and a Best History Book of 2019 by The Daily Telegraph.[11]
In 2022, his biography of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was published.[12] It was his second book to become a Times Book of the Year.[13] In the same year, he was a main contributor to BBC Northern Ireland's and Al Jazeera's coverage for the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and accession of Charles III.
In 2023, Russell's The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court was published.[14][15] It was named a BBC History Book of the Year.[16]
Bibliography[edit]
Novels[edit]
- Popular (2011)
- The Immaculate Deception (2012)
Non-Fiction[edit]
- The Emperors: How Europe's Rulers were destroyed by World War I (2014)
- An Illustrated Introduction to the Tudors (2014)
- A History of the English Monarchy from Boadicea to Elizabeth I (2015)
- Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard, Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII (US title) (2017)
- In the UK, this book's subtitle is The Life and Tragedy of Catherine Howard at the Court of Henry VIII
- The Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era (2019), originally published as The Darksome Bounds of a Failing World in the UK and Ireland
- Do Let's Have Another Drink: The Singular Wit and Double Measures of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (2022). In the US and Canada, the book is Do Let's Have Another Drink: The Dry Wit and Fizzy Life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
- The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court (2023)
Notes[edit]
- ^ "About". The Popular Series. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ^ Author biography, Young and Damned and Fair (UK edition, 2017), Author Biography, The Palace (UK edition, 2023)
- ^ De Buitléir 2014.
- ^ Russell 2011.
- ^ "Theatre Review: Popular -'Say You'll Remember Me' (At the MAC) | EILE Magazine". Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Off with their heads: 'The Emperors: How Europe's Rulers Were Destroyed by the First World War'".
- ^ Russell, Gareth (17 April 2018). Young and Damned and Fair. ISBN 9781501108648 – via www.simonandschuster.com.
- ^ "Angela Carter biography wins award | The Spectator".
- ^ Lisle, Leanda de. "The Darksome Bounds of a Failing World by Gareth Russell review — how the Titanic sank the Edwardian era" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Marriott, Robbie Millen | James. "The 50 best books of 2019" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Heffer, Simon (18 December 2019). "The best new history books to buy for Christmas 2019". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ Bayley, Sian (4 February 2022). "William Collins signs "amusing and astonishing" collection of stories about the Queen Mother". The Bookseller.
- ^ Reid, Melanie (26 November 2022). "6 best books on the royal family 2022". The Times. (subscription required)
- ^ "The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court". Harper Reach. HarperCollins. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "The Palace". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ BBC History Magazine, Christmas 2023, p. 69.
References[edit]
- De Buitléir, Scott (7 March 2014). "Preview & Competition: The Gate of The Year @ Belvoir Players' Theatre, Belfast". Eile Magazine. Eile.ie. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- Russell, Gareth (1 October 2011). "My interview in The Irish Times". Confessions of a Ci-devant. Garethrussellcidevant.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- Vidal, Elena Maria (17 October 2009). "The Audacity of Ideas". Tea at Trianon. Teaattrianon.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
External links[edit]
- Gareth Russell Author's page
- Gareth
Russell Instagram