Naomi Alderman

Naomi Alderman is an award-winning British novelist and game writer who is best known for her books The Power, The Paying Guests, and The Lessons. She is often heralded as one of the most innovative and bold literary figures of our time, injecting creativity and complexity into her stories and her fictitious worlds.

Alderman was born in London in 1974. She studied English at Oxford University before completing her Master's in Creative Writing at University College London. Since then, she has gone on to write for television and video games. In 2006, she won a BAFTA for co-writing Perplexed, a game that explored ideas of identity, perception, and morality.

Since her first published novel, Disobedience, in 2006, Alderman has been writing books that have captivated readers. She often explores themes of identity, power, and morality in her work. In Disobedience, she tells the story of Ronit, a woman who returns to her Orthodox Jewish hometown and questions her familial and religious ties when she is confronted with forbidden desires. The Power, released in 2016, is Alderman’s most popular novel. In it, she tells an alternate reality story in which women, not men, hold the power and use it to devastating effects. The novel was named Best Fiction Book of 2017 by the Baileys Prize and has been optioned for a television series by Amazon Studios.

Alderman’s other notable works include The Lessons (2011), a darkly comedic novel that explores the morality of life’s choices; and The Paying Guests (2014), in which a young couple’s lives change when they take in lodgers during the 1920s.

Alderman is a staunch feminist, and her work often reflects her own beliefs and views. In The Power, she explores the relationships between gender and power, imploring readers to consider their assumptions and the implications of the society they live in. She also fights against gender inequality in the world of writing. In 2008, Alderman founded the Arvon-Ladbrokes Prize for fiction by women. This annual prize awards £1,500 to a female author for a novel-length manuscript.

Alderman is also an award-winning public speaker, often discussing topics on gender and technology. She has given lectures at the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Oxford Literary Festival, the Hay Literary Festival and the Battle of Ideas Festival.

In 2016, Alderman was chosen as one of Granta’s Best of Young British novelist list and she was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize for her novel The Power. Naomi Alderman is an inspiring and boundary-breaking author whose writing has gained international acclaim. She will continue to challenge readers with each of her new works and ensure that her voice is heard.