Bio
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Chris Cleave is 38. He lives in London with his wife and three children. His debut novel Incendiary won a 2006 Somerset Maugham Award, was shortlisted for the 2006 Commonwealth Writers Prize, and won the United States Book-of-the-Month Club’s First Fiction award 2005. His second novel is titled Little Bee in Canada and the US, where it is a New York Times #1 bestseller. It is titled The Other Hand in the UK, where it is a Sunday Times bestseller. It was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Awards. Read reviews here. Chris Cleave has been a barman, a long-distance sailor and teacher of marine navigation [read a short story I wrote about there here], an internet pioneer and a journalist. |
Why I write
“Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is no new road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.” - D.H. Lawrence |
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Entries (RSS)
well im lost for word your book the other hand has truly touched me
im starting the book Incendiary its amazing im cant get my head out the book=D
Just finished reading Little Bee – fantastic. So simple and yet so complex. Can’t wait to read your other books – thank you.
Read Little Bee, LOVED it! Met you in Cincinnati, OH and enjoyed your too brief discussion (remember me? I had the Flat Stanley and we took a picture). Anyhow, I am a fan of the book Little Bee but just finished Incendiary and now, I am a fan of Chris Cleave. Cheers to you, your writing is brilliant!
hi. I read LİTTLE BEE in two days. it’s really wonderfull.I don’t know english very well. but I want to say to thank you…
Thank you very much, Yasemin.
Hi Michelle, yes I do remember you & Flat Stanley – I hope you are both well. Thanks for your kind words – I’m delighted you liked Incendiary too.
Thank you Joe
Thank you Sara
Thanks very much, Gerald. I’m writing the new one as fast as I can! I have just realised that I’ve been writing it for about the same length of time that I was at university, which is quite a frightening thought.
Thank you Val
Hi Joanne, I’m going to do quite a few US trips in 2011 I think, and will be posting all details on this website. The first thing I’m doing is two weeks of events in January, and I will put up the details as soon as I have them. Hopefully they’ll send me to the excellent Politics & Prose in DC.
i just got back from sailing the atlantic from Gibraltar, through Madeira to the Canaries. there were 3 of us aboard and we all took turns and read “the other hand”, with the understanding that whoever is reading the book is allowed time off duties so they could be drawn into the magic of it.
thank you for this fantastic book
What an amazing story. And so beautifully written. Both points had me frequently in tears during the two days in which I read your book . I have visited Ecuador several times and am haunted by the parallels to your descriptions of Nigeria. Thank you for your artistry and for your compelling account.
My favourite line in The Other Hand: ´I couldn´t make myself believe that these were Puffin droppings. This was bat shit.´
The moments of gut-wrenching pathos and double meaning which abound in the novel are just magic to read. I worked in publishing for years (and am now trying to write myself) and I have oceans of admiration for both your novels. Your enjoyment of the process gives them such energy. And your eye for the human predicament, your empathy which runs hand in hand with a brutal honesty, make for such a strong emotional and intellectual journey for the reader. Not to mention the pure joy of your sentences and humour. I hope for many more novels. Tomorrow ten of us will discuss the novel at our book club. I hope you really enjoy the pleasure you give so many people and the raw truths you light upon. I would be a happy woman if I could do what you do!
i am so enamored with little bee (the other hand) that i am reading it a second time, and even more wondrous images are jumping out at me this go round than the first time. one image that stays (“floats”) with me is in one of little bee’s suicide fantasies, where she imagines stealing an ice-cream van and driving it into the sea; and all that remains “to show that a frightened african girl had ever existed would be two thousand melting ice creams, bobbing in their packets on the cool blue waves.” wow! so very vivid! which got me wondering: have you ever been to nigeria? i have now purchased three more copies of little bee to give to close friends. the way your book makes me feel is meant to be shared.
Thank you for “Little Bee”. Thank you so much.
Thank you Anna.
Hi Chris. I’ve never made contact with an author before, but I just had to reach out to you let you know that I can not stop thinking about Little Bee. As a mother of two youngsters, and until very recently, employed full-time, I haven’t had much time to read many novels. How lucky was I that I picked your book up by chance yesterday while on layover in Amsterdam back to the states. I finished the last 20 pages this morning, but I didn’t want it to end. Thank you for this wonderful book. I will be researching the issues in Nigeria to see what I can do to help. (I can easily see your book as a movie!)
Chris, you are a genius writer, “Little Bee” is the best book I’ve ever read; I was in love with Bee & Batman by page 46. While reading at night in bed, in the dark with a little book light, I often found my heart pounding, my emotions screaming for the safety of these characters…an unforgettable journey!
Hi Chris,
I’ve been reading “Little Bee” and I am fascinated by the conversation between Lawrence and Sarah about ten percent on pg. 208 of my soft-cover edition.
I’ve always thought of ten percent in terms of the tithe and it has more recently seemed liked a small amount (speaking in terms of money). However, when you put it in terms of a finger, it seems like a much more difficult sacrifice. And then, when Lawrence says “If everyone gave ten percent, we wouldn’t need to give asylum.” – that rattled around in my head all day! It is the tangible things that are hardest to give.
Thank you for feeding my brain today. I always need food for thought!
Bonnie
Am reading Little Bee fo the third time (last time for my Book Club) and it gets better each time. It is colourful, vibrant,humourous and poignant. Thank you
Sheila
Hi Chris,
I just finished Little Bee. I had to hold myself back from eating the words too quickly. Little Bee left me so … I can’t describe it fully as the emotions are too raw. Thank God for Batman who made “mine” heart smile or I would have been a blubbering mess throughout the story. Anyway, thank you for being true to your calling.
Keep writing,
Nakia
Dear Chris:
I am just on page 83 of Little Bee but I had to let you know how much it touches my soul. There is something about the way you express Little Bee’s observations of the world around her and her relationship to it that goes beyond touching the emotions. It stirs the soul. I can’t imagine how a male could be so insightful about the female thought process. I also can’t imagine how a male who is a citizen of the United Kingdom can so clearly perceive the emotions and priorities of an abused (too benign a word) Nigerian girl who is an illegal immigrant in your country!
I simply want to thank you for writing this important book. Every single reader will be enlightened and inspired and therefore moved to act in whatever way they can to alleviate evil in their own world. God bless you and your family! Nancy
I have just finished Little Bee, and was moved in a way only fiction can move a person. I am so greatful to have gotten the this book, for with my studies I haven’t been reading as much for pleasure as I would like. The prose, the characters, everything about this book was so graceful. That you are able to capture a feminine voice without idolizing or patronizing the narrators is refreshing and a pleasure to read. Thank you, and I look forward to reading more of you work! -Sarah
Hi Chris,
I´m brasilian and I have just finished Little Bee (in Portuguese version). It is one of the best book I have read for the last 5 years. Thank you.
Taty
Hi Sarah – thank you!
Hi Taty, I’m so pleased you liked it. Thank you!
More! More! More! You are brilliant.
I am a teenager in high school and was given your book, Little Bee, as a assignment for my Humanities class. All I can say is that I will no longer be reading the trashy books that are considered “teenage” because your book has shown me that books can have meaning and can have an effect on my life personally. It is incredibly well-written and has opened my eyes to a whole new world of literature. Thank You, the story of Little Bee will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Dear Chris Cleave, I don’t know why I picked up your book Incendiary at the library but am very glad that I did.
I have also read little bee too – they are both brilliant books and am waiting patiently for your next one to come out!
I truly am afan of yours now – thank you for being such a fabulous writer Chris.
One thing why do yo write as a female?
Jacqueline May
Hi Jacqueline – thank you – delighted you liked the books. I’ve answered the question about writing from a female POV here.
Dear Chris,
Your books are beautiful and honest and haunting all at once.
But more than anything they made me feel deep and true appreciation for all that I have been blessed with in this world.
You have a gift; thank you for using it.
Hope
Dear Chris,
After finishing Little Bee this morning, the lump in my throat won’t go away…neither will Little Bee, Sarah, and Charlie! They have become a part of me and I don’t want to let them go. I kept my pen in one hand underlining the hundreds of phrases and passages that resonated with my soul. The words, so beautiful – your message, so powerful.
I can’t wait to explore Little Bee’s impact on the rest of the Book Club next week.
Thank you for sharing your gift of writing with us – just judging from the comments on this website, I can see that you have changed lives.
Just posted a well done and thankyou on other book pages but wanted to say the same on your home page.
Wonderful writing. I would definately recommend you and in fact am doing so at every opportunity !
I just closed Little Bee after reading the final chapter. I found your book quite difficult to begin – I think I was afraid of what I was going to read – but I was even more upset to have to finish your story, I wanted another chapter (for the sake of goodness I presume). Thank you for awakening me to what is happening outside of my busy world. I feel so useless, I need to help.
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Other Hand’, I was then disappointed to find you had written only one other book, ‘Incendiary’. I have read this and am impatiently awaiting another book from you.
I just spent most of the night finishing your book ‘the other hand or little bee’. Thank you for reminding me how and why I ended up working in the world of asylum and migration.
Dear Chris,
I recently picked up “Little Bee” as a novel to keep me occupied when I chaperoned a high school exchange trip abroad. I figured I would read it on the plane and maybe in the evenings if I was having trouble sleeping. I was not prepared for the true experience of reading your novel. It is not something to be read as a distraction, time-killer, or sleeping aid. It is something to be read and appreciated as a work of art. While staying up late to read more and more did not help my jet lag at all, I feel fortunate to have encountered the characters in “Little Bee.” They will stay with me forever. As we were making our return journey on the plane, I finished the novel and had to ignore the looks from fellow passengers and my high school students as tears kept rolling down my cheeks. The last several pages were an emotional roller coaster (forgive the cliche). A glimmer of hope, followed by heartbreak, and back and forth and back and forth. Thank you for that novel.
I am now half way through “Incendiary” and again I am amazed by what you can do with words to make these characters come alive. I know they’re out there somewhere! I believe I have found a new favorite author. I am (impatiently) awaiting your next novel and just wanted to let you know what an impact you have had on my literary life.
Again, thank you for your talent and your passion.
I listened to “Little Bee” on an audiobook and loved it. The reader allowed me to see the different characters in my mind with her realistic accents. Thank you so much! I’m listening to “Incendiary” now and the reader, although different from the first, is also very adept at helping me picture who is speaking.
I have ordered “Little Bee” to read for myself now. Thank you so much for writing these books. I’ll watch for your new works.
Just finished The Other Hand. This book is amongst the few books that has really affected me. It made me in turns angry, sad, frustrated, helpless. I wish everybody in Britain would read it. The plight of the refugee is so well constructed and understood as is the dismissive way we treat our fellow humans. A truly great and important book. Many thanks for your insight.
Very rarely, after reading a novel, have I felt the inclination to immediately visit the author’s website and, well, gush! The weather has been crap in the UK this weekend, so I instead picked up your book (‘The Other Hand’) and read it cover to cover in two sittings. It’s been a while since a modern novel has compelled, moved, humored and enraged me! As a well as the crucial sociol-political issues you picked up on, it was your ability to write so accurately and empathetically from a female perspective and your fantastic sense of humour punctuating horrific scenes that for me makes you a great writer. I literally went from crying one moment to laughing hysterically the next- as a result I think my boyfriend is concerned with my mental health-haha!
Hi Chris,
I’ve just finished reading The Other hand. Not only did I enjoy it and feel it was beautifully written, but it has opened my eyes wider and given me the chance to walk in someone else’s shoes.
I write myself, and am in the process of editing the first novel I will try to get published. It’s hard hard work, and I would have given up if it wasn’t such a need in me and the subject matter so close to my heart. I’m so glad you did the work with this book, it’s a really special story and has inspired me to keep going! Thank you. Little Bee is one of the strongest voices I have ever read in a novel, just wonderful.
Also my boyfriend and his family lost a dear friend in the Rwanda Genocide so your story really struck me because of that. So much injustice in the world, what a brave novel you have written.
Many many thanks, kelly.
Thank you Kelly. Very best of luck with your novel. It is hard work, isn’t it? As someone who is currently finishing the fourth rewrite of a novel, I feel your pain! I hope the work goes well & wish you every success with publication.
Hi Charlotte – loved your message – thank you for that!
Hi Chris
I picked up Little Bee in the airport on a long flight from Richmond to Seattle. I finished it during the flight and as soon as I checked into my hotel I went to B&N and bought Incendiary. I thought I’d read it on my return flight but I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two nights. I’m flying back today and now I’ve to buy another book and oh how I wished you’d a third one!! I’d not make any attempt to describe how your books moved me…….suffice it to say I’m literally haunted by them and I simply can’t get your characters out of my head. It’s that gripping.
I myself try to dabble into writing. I write short stories in my native language Bangla. I’ve published my first book two years back and I’m planning on the second one. Your style, uses of language and selection of storyline/theme are a eye-opener for me. You’re truly an inspiration.
I’m eagerly waiting for your next book which I believe is in the pipeline.
Take care. Best wishes.
Devanand
Dear Chris
I spend quite a lot of time at airports and bought your book by chance last year in Istanbul. I just loved “Little Bee” (and was surprised by the fact that you are neither black nor female ). Your book just reminded me that I studied Literature and love reading and simply feel different after reading a good book. It’s like a journey after which you feel a little bit different as if the journey added something to yourself.
So, little bee was a rich journey and I got “Incendiary” to start the next journey right away. Thanks!!! And now? I need more of your writing!!!
Obrigada from Lisbon,
Tânia
dear mr. cleave,
you are an incredible talent. i have enjoyed both of your books and have passed them onto my friends. we all agree that you
are one of the greatest writers out there.
please, if you would, try to hurry with your third novel because i am waiting for it to be published.
i truly admire your gift for making us think. to me, you are unbelievable.
sincerely,
suzanne
Both books are true treasures, really. What a refreshing writing style you have. Thank you..
I love your books, it took me two days to read Little Bee one of the best books, the way you write you lock the person in on the first page, Can’t wait for a new book!!
Read Little Bee last month then just finished Incendiary. Both excellent. I thought, at first, that the police cover up in Incendiary was buying into the fad of conspiracy theories too much but then read the cover article in Time (May 9) about the FBI director who said they pretty much do what Incendiary said the police did about knowing when someone is going to blow up something and then the FBI has to decide when to step in.
Also, just finished Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis. His novels are known as protest novels. In a way, Little Bee and Incendiary are also in the same vein. Looking forward to more books. Oh, also saw and very much enjoyed the Incendiary movie.