J. M. Ledgard
Encyclopedia
J. M. Ledgard is an award-winning Scottish novelist. He is the author of Giraffe
(2006) and Submergence (2011).
in 1975 to examine captivity and suffering. The novel polarised critics. Some found it laborious, others a masterpiece. The lyrical style was compared to that of W.G. Sebald, Italo Calvino
and T.S. Eliot.
Giraffe was named Library Journal Book of the Year (2006). Ledgard was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writer's Prize (2007). It was published in Britain by Jonathan Cape, a Random House imprint, in August, 2006, and in America by Penguin Press in July, 2007. Translations in French, Dutch, Czech, Hungarian and other languages have been released.
Submergence was published in Britain by Jonathan Cape, a Random House imprint, in August, 2011. An American edition and translations will follow in 2012.
The novel's odd interplay of the sea floor and jihadist fighters found resolution in the burial at sea of Osama bin Laden. Ledgard's publisher has called this "one of the great literary coincidences of recent times." Submergence also foretells the 2011 famine in the Horn of Africa.
The first review of the novel, by Eileen Battersby in the Irish Times, compares Ledgard to the German writer W.G. Sebald and argues that "Submergence not only surpasses Giraffe but also builds on that achievement stylistically. It is both personal and public. There is no disputing that Ledgard is an elegant, determinedly intellectual and disciplined writer, yet there is also immense humanity in this novel, which deserves to be one of the strongest challengers for this year’s Man Booker Prize… Fiction at its finest recognises no boundaries, and here is an artist’s novel that achieves the ultimate goal of any writer: it makes us pause and think, and think again.”
since 1995, specialising in foreign political and war reporting. He currently works in Africa, travelling widely in the continent. A senior writer for Intelligent Life and an occasional contributor to The Atlantic Monthly, he is considered a leading thinker on risk and technology in emerging economies. He campaigns for the exploration and protection of the Indian Ocean. While working in Afghanistan, Ledgard rediscovered the Ajar Valley, a royal hunting ground in the western Hindu Kush.
Giraffe (novel)
Giraffe is a critically acclaimed debut novel by Scottish writer J. M. Ledgard.Giraffe is based on a true Czechoslovakian story, which Ledgard discovered while working as a journalist in the Czech Republic for The Economist in 2001...
(2006) and Submergence (2011).
Early life
Ledgard was born on the Shetland Islands in 1968. He was educated at school in England and at universities in Scotland and America.Giraffe (novel)
Giraffe uses the true story of a killing of giraffes behind the Iron CurtainIron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
in 1975 to examine captivity and suffering. The novel polarised critics. Some found it laborious, others a masterpiece. The lyrical style was compared to that of W.G. Sebald, Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino was an Italian journalist and writer of short stories and novels. His best known works include the Our Ancestors trilogy , the Cosmicomics collection of short stories , and the novels Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler .Lionised in Britain and the United States,...
and T.S. Eliot.
Giraffe was named Library Journal Book of the Year (2006). Ledgard was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writer's Prize (2007). It was published in Britain by Jonathan Cape, a Random House imprint, in August, 2006, and in America by Penguin Press in July, 2007. Translations in French, Dutch, Czech, Hungarian and other languages have been released.
Submergence (novel)
Submergence is a novel about the deep ocean, belief and love. It is set in Africa, France and the Greenland Sea. It is based in part on Ledgard's reporting of al-Qaeda activities in Somalia and his time as a fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Ledgard has said the novel's aim "is to alter the perspective of the planet we inhabit. It is planetary writing."Submergence was published in Britain by Jonathan Cape, a Random House imprint, in August, 2011. An American edition and translations will follow in 2012.
The novel's odd interplay of the sea floor and jihadist fighters found resolution in the burial at sea of Osama bin Laden. Ledgard's publisher has called this "one of the great literary coincidences of recent times." Submergence also foretells the 2011 famine in the Horn of Africa.
The first review of the novel, by Eileen Battersby in the Irish Times, compares Ledgard to the German writer W.G. Sebald and argues that "Submergence not only surpasses Giraffe but also builds on that achievement stylistically. It is both personal and public. There is no disputing that Ledgard is an elegant, determinedly intellectual and disciplined writer, yet there is also immense humanity in this novel, which deserves to be one of the strongest challengers for this year’s Man Booker Prize… Fiction at its finest recognises no boundaries, and here is an artist’s novel that achieves the ultimate goal of any writer: it makes us pause and think, and think again.”
Other pursuits
Ledgard has also been a correspondent for The EconomistThe Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
since 1995, specialising in foreign political and war reporting. He currently works in Africa, travelling widely in the continent. A senior writer for Intelligent Life and an occasional contributor to The Atlantic Monthly, he is considered a leading thinker on risk and technology in emerging economies. He campaigns for the exploration and protection of the Indian Ocean. While working in Afghanistan, Ledgard rediscovered the Ajar Valley, a royal hunting ground in the western Hindu Kush.
Sources
- http://submergencethebook.tumblr.com/
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Submergence-J-M-Ledgard/dp/0224091379
- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2011/0716/1224300799397.html
- http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2011/02/playlist
- http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/popgb/ledgard.htm#author
- http://www.randomhouse.ca/author/results.pperl?authorid=70090
- http://www.editions-heloisedormesson.com/titre.php?pageNum_rs_titre=13&totalRows_rs_titres=48
- http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/ AuthorPage/0,,1000068905,00.html
- http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/2004/04/ledgard.htm
- http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/jm-ledgard/digital-africa?page=full