Candice Carty-Williams

Candice Carty-Williams (born 1989)[1] is a British writer, best known for her 2019 bestselling debut novel, Queenie, which was bought by Orion after a four-way bidding war between publishers.[2] She has written for publications including The Guardian, i-D, Vogue, The Sunday Times, BEAT Magazine, and Black Ballad,[3] and is a contributor to the anthology New Daughters of Africa (2019), edited by Margaret Busby.[4]

Candice Carty-Williams
Born21 July 1989
London, England
OccupationNovelist, journalist, columnist
Notable work
Queenie (2019)
Awards2019 Blackwell's Debut Author of the Year
Book of the Year (Queenie)
Websitewww.candicecartywilliams.com/index.html

At the British Book Awards in June 2020 Carty-Williams became the first black female to win the "Book of the Year" accolade, for her novel Queenie.[5]

Biography

Early life and education

Candice Carty-Williams was born in St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster, and grew up in South London, living at various times in Croydon[6], Clapham, Streatham, Ladywell and Lewisham.[2] Her mother is of Jamaican-Indian heritage and her Jamaican father had come to Britain at the age of 16 and worked as a cab driver. Carty-Williams has said of her parents: "Neither of them are readers, though my dad does have thousands of records, which is maybe where I get my love of collecting things (in this case, books) from. My grandparents were all born in Jamaica, as were my great-grandparents with the exception of my grandad, who was born in India."[7]

She has said: "Growing up I never felt I could write.... Writing is something I came to really late and I guess I’m still finding my confidence because I never thought it was an attainable career."[6] She studied for a degree in communication and media studies at the University of Sussex, after which she decided to try to enter the publishing industry.[6]

Publishing career

Internships with Melville House, 4th Estate and William Collins[8] led to her being employed in 2014 as marketing assistant at the HarperCollins imprint 4th Estate, with promotion to marketing executive in 2015.[9] While in this job she became aware of the underrepresentation of BAME authors and writers in publishing, so she created the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, which aimed to offer assistance towards publishing or literary agent representation.[2]

In September 2016 she joined Vintage, where she was senior marketing executive and was also a mentor on the Penguin Books "Write Now" scheme,[10] eventually leaving the imprint in May 2019.[9]

Queenie

In 2017, her first novel, Queenie, was the subject of an auction between four publishers and was eventually acquired for a six-figure sum by Orion.[11] Published in 2019, the novel is about the "life and loves of Queenie Jenkins, a vibrant, troubled 25-year-old Jamaican Brit who is not having a very good year"',[12] and although it was marketed as "a black Bridget Jones",[13][14][15] Carty-Williams herself said in an interview in Stylist magazine: "That's how I thought of her in the beginning, too. But this book is also naturally political just because of who Queenie is. She's not Bridget Jones. She could never be."[16] Speaking on CBS Local, Carty-Williams further explained: "It's such a personal story, but it is one that is universal as well....It's not autobiographical, but it’s themes that I've borrowed from my life and my friends' lives."[17] Queenie received much positive critical attention,[18] described by reviewers as both a "smart and breezy comic debut"[19] and "astutely political, an essential commentary on everyday racism"[20] According to Diana Evans, Queenie is an "important political tome of black womanhood and black British life, a rare perspective from the margins",[14] and Afua Hirsch wrote in Time magazine: "Carty-Williams has taken a black woman’s story and made it a story of the age".[13] On the paperback publication of Queenie in February 2020, Kate Saunders wrote in The Times: "This is a funny, clever, heartbreaking lightning bolt of a first novel, by a writer bristling with talent."[21]

Queenie entered the Sunday Times Bestseller hardback chart at number two,[9] went on to win the Blackwell's Debut Book of the Year 2019 award[22] and was shortlisted as Book of the Year by Waterstones,[23] Foyles and Goodreads,[24] as well as being runner-up for the Costa First Novel Award.[25][26][27] It has been announced that Carty-Williams is adapting the novel for Channel 4.[28]

At the British Book Awards (launched in 1990 and also known as "the Nibbies")[29] in June 2020 Queenie won the Book of the Year category, while Bernardine Evaristo was chosen as Author of the Year, making them the first black authors to win the top prizes.[30] Carty-Williams commented that while she was proud to have won the accolade, "I'm also sad and confused that I'm the first black AND female author to have won this award since it began."[31] She also stated: "Overall, this win makes me hopeful that although I'm the first, the industry are waking up to the fact that I shouldn't and won't be the last."[32]

Other writing

Carty-Williams has written for publications including The Guardian,[33] i-D,[34] Vogue, The Sunday Times, Refinery29, BEAT Magazine, and Black Ballad, and contributed an essay to the anthology New Daughters of Africa (2019), edited by Margaret Busby.[4][35]

It was announced on 7 January 2020 that Carty-Williams had been appointed the new weekly books columnist of The Guardian,[24][36] with her first piece for the newspaper in this role appearing on 11 January.[37]

She is a contributor to Dear NHS, edited by Adam Kay, an anthology of personal stories from famous people about how they have been helped by the National Health Service.[38][39]

References
  1. Sturges, Fiona (30 March 2019). "Interview: Candice Carty-Williams: 'You get accustomed to men saying, "You're pretty for a black girl"'". The Guardian.
  2. "Who is author Candice Carty-Williams?". Southbank Centre Blog. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  3. "Candice Carty-Wiilliams". Official website.
  4. "Margaret Busby on New Daughters of Africa, sponsorship of women's football". Woman's Hour. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  5. Sherwin, Adam (29 June 2020). "Candice Carty-Williams named first black female Book of the Year winner for Queenie". i.
  6. Williams, Luke G. (20 May 2019). "Queen of the south". The Lewisham Ledger.
  7. Bennett, Sam (2019). "Candice Carty-Williams". Ox Magazine. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  8. "Profile - Candice Carty-Williams". BAME in Publishing. 3 July 2017.
  9. Wood, Heloise (13 June 2019). "Candice Carty-Williams leaves Vintage". The Bookseller.
  10. Apostolides, Zoë. "Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams — racial prejudice in contemporary London". Financial Times. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  11. Cowdrey, Katherine (29 September 2017). "Carty-Williams' debut Queenie lands six-figure deal". The Bookseller.
  12. "Queenie". Kirkus Reviews. 12 November 2018.
  13. Hirsch, Afua (19 March 2019). "Don't Call Queenie a 'Black Bridget Jones.' This Book Is So Much More". Time.
  14. Evans, Diana (12 April 2020). "Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams review – timely and important". The Guardian.
  15. Butter, Susannah (25 April 2019). "Candice Carty-Williams: it's high time black women had a voice". Evening Standard.
  16. Keegan, Hannah (3 April 2019). "Candice Carty Williams explains why Queenie will never be a 'black Bridget Jones'". Stylist.
  17. "'Getting This Out Was Catharsis': Author Candice Carty-Williams On Book 'Queenie'", CBS Local, 25 November 2019.
  18. Lloyd, Rachel (17 May 2019), "All you need to know about “Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams", 1843.
  19. Cummins, Anthony (16 April 2019), "Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams review – a smart and breezy debut", The Observer.
  20. Malicka, Philly (17 July 2919), "Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, review: ‘An essential commentary on everyday racism'", The Telegraph.
  21. Saunders, Kate (8 February 2020), "Our pick of the latest paperbacks, February 8, 2020", The Times.
  22. "WINNER Debut Author of the Year". YouTube. Blackwell's Bookshops. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  23. Sherwin, Adam (30 October 2019). "Queenie: 'Black Bridget Jones' competes with Margaret Atwood for Waterstones Book of the Year 2019". i.
  24. GNM Press Office (7 January 2020). "Candice Carty-Williams to become the Guardian's new books columnist". The Guardian.
  25. Flood, Alison (26 November 2019). "Debut author of Queenie caps success with Costa prize shortlisting". The Guardian.
  26. Hampson, Laura (27 November 2019). "The Costa Book Awards shortlist for 2019 has been announced". Evening Standard.
  27. Broster, Alice (7 January 2020). "Debut Writers Win Big In 2019 Costa Book Award".
  28. Broster, Alice (18 November 2019), "What You Need To Know About Candice Carty-Williams' 'Queenie' Being Adapted For Channel 4", Bustle.
  29. "The British Book Awards – A History". The Bookseller.
  30. Flood, Alison (30 June 2020). "Evaristo and Carty-Williams become first black authors to win top British Book awards". The Guardian.
  31. "Queenie author Candice Carty-Williams wins British Book Award". BBC News. 30 June 2020.
  32. White, Adam (30 June 2020). "British Book Awards: Candice Carty-Williams becomes first black British author to win Book of the Year prize". The Independent.
  33. Candice Carty-Williams at The Guardian.
  34. Candice Carty-Williams at i-D.
  35. Richardson, Hollie (12 June 2019). "Exclusive: Candice Carty-Williams on writing Queenie for the screen, working with Zadie Smith and dealing with burnout". Stylist.
  36. Chandler, Mark (7 January 2020). "Carty-Williams joins Guardian Review as columnist". The Bookseller.
  37. Carty-Williams, Candice (11 January 2020). "My New Year reading resolution? Less guilt for giving up on books". The Guardian.
  38. Butter, Susannah (15 July 2020). "Candice Carty-Williams: 'I see it all the time, it hurts all the time'". Evening Standard.
  39. Levine, Nick (18 April 2020). "Celebrities Say Thank You To The NHS In A Moving New Charity Book". Refinery29.
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