Alex Wheatle

Alex Wheatle is the author of several acclaimed novels, many of them inspired by experiences from his childhood. He was born in Brixton to Jamaican parents and spent most of his childhood in a Surrey children’s home. Following a short stint in prison after the Brixton uprising of 1981, he wrote poems and lyrics and became known as the Brixton Bard. Alex was awarded an MBE for services to literature in 2008.