Marlon James
Marlon James is an award-winning author from Jamaica and a professor at Macalester College in Minnesota. He is the author of three novels—John Crow’s Devil, The Book of Night Women, and A Brief History of Seven Killings—all of which have been critically acclaimed and have earned him numerous honors, including being a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Awards for Fiction, and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Fiction.
Marlon James was born in 1970 in Kingston, Jamaica. His mother worked as a librarian, his father was a lawyer, and his upbringing was very affluent. Growing up, James found kinship with fantasy and science fiction, as well as books by writers such as Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. His experiences as a black Jamaican were pivotal to his development and helped shape his writing.
James received a Bachelor of Arts in Language and Literature from the University of the West Indies in Kingston. In 1997, he moved to the United States and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota in 2002.
James’ debut novel, John Crow’s Devil, published in 2005, tells the story of a teacher, Owen Saul, and a young student, Tito, in a rural Jamaican village. It examines the impact of religious faith in their small township and questions the roles of mothers and fathers in a society where men are still dominant. The novel won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book and the 2004 Minnesota Book Award for Fiction.
The Book of Night Women, published in 2009, offers a glimpse into the lives of women living in a slave plantation in Jamaica in the 18th century. Through the story of the slave Lilith, the book showcases powerful female voices and the harshness of slavery. Its sophisticated use of Jamaican patois and insight into the Jamaican slave struggle won James the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the Dayton’s Literary Peace Prize.
A Brief History of Seven Killings, published in 2014, tells of a 1975 attempt to assassinate Bob Marley in Kingston. The novel is spread across a multitude of characters and points of view to unravel the mystery behind the assassination and explore a violent decade in Jamaica’s history. It won the Man Booker Prize, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and the American Book Award.
In addition to writing for commercial and critical success, James has also taught creative writing. He began teaching at Macalester College before moving to Harvard University in 2013, where he held the position of Distinguished Writer in Residence until 2016. He returned to Macalester as the Higgins Professor of English in 2017, where he currently resides.
James is an activist, advocate, and artist, speaking out against discrimination and prejudice and passionate about creating diverse, engaging fiction. He has conducted talks and seminars around the world and has made appearances at festivals, universities and schools.
James has solidified his place among prominent modern authors by giving a voice to both minority individuals and the wider public. His novels tackle the issues of race, gender, and religion, bringing Jamaican culture and history alive in inventive and powerful ways. His commitment and talent are deserving of the many awards and wide acclaim he has received.
