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Patrick Gale

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Patrick Evelyn Hugh Sadler Gale (born 31 January 1962) is a British novelist.

Early life and education

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Gale was born in 1962 on the Isle of Wight, the youngest of four children.[1][2][3] His father was the prison governor of HM Prison Camp Hill on the Isle of Wight, and he was brought up in and around prisons. In 1969 the family moved to Winchester, Hampshire and his father became Under-Secretary of State for Prisons.[4] In his 2000 novel Rough Music, the lead character is the son of a prison governor.

In Winchester he was invited to join the Quiristers in the Winchester College Chapel Choir.[4] Before he turned ten, one of his siblings suffered a nervous breakdown and his mother almost died in a car accident that left her brain-damaged.[4] He was then educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford.[5]

Career

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His first two novels, The Aerodynamics of Pork and Ease, were published on the same day in 1985.[6][4] In 2017 he made his screenwriting debut with Man in an Orange Shirt, a two part original drama which formed part of the BBC's Gay Britannia season.[7] The show won the 2018 International Emmy for Best Miniseries.[8]

His 2000 novel Rough Music is the most widely held of his books in libraries: in 2018 it was owned by 673 libraries, according to WorldCat.[9]

Describing himself as the "last novelist in England", he has lived in Cornwall since 1988, a county described repeatedly in his novels.[10] He is artistic director of the North Cornwall Book Festival, which he helped found.[11] He is a patron of the Charles Causley Trust,[12] the Penzance LitFest,[13] and Literature Works.[14]

Personal life

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Gale lives on a farm near Land's End, with his husband, the sculptor-farmer Aidan Hicks. There they raise beef cattle and grow barley.[15] He is a keen gardener and in April 2024 his garden at Land's End was featured on BBC's Gardeners' World.[16]

Novels and short stories

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  • The Aerodynamics of Pork (1985)
  • Ease (1985)
  • Kansas in August (1987)
  • Facing the Tank (1988)
  • Little Bits of Baby (1989)
  • The Cat Sanctuary (1990)
  • Caesar's Wife (1991) – novella contained in the collection Secret Lives, along with works by Tom Wakefield and Francis King
  • The Facts of Life (1996)
  • Dangerous Pleasures (1996) – short stories
  • Tree Surgery for Beginners (1999)
  • Rough Music (2000)
  • A Sweet Obscurity (2003)
  • Friendly Fire (2005)
  • Notes from an Exhibition (2007)
  • The Whole Day Through (2009)
  • Gentleman's Relish (2009) – short stories
  • A Perfectly Good Man (2012)
  • A Place Called Winter (2015)
  • Take Nothing With You (2018)
  • Mother’s Boy (2022)

References

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  1. ^ "About Patrick". Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  2. ^ Reunited, Genes. "Patrick Gale - England & Wales Births 1837-2006 [1] - Genes Reunited". genesreunited.co.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  3. ^ Chris Beck, "Work in Progress", Weekend Australian, 11–12 November 2000, Review, p. 8
  4. ^ a b c d Paul Veitch, Peter Karp, "Exploring love and marriage", Sunday Canberra Times, 6 September 1998, p. 18
  5. ^ Gale, Patrick (16 April 2012). "Patrick Gale: a life more orderly". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Gale, Patrick 1962- [WorldCat.org]". worldcat.org. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  7. ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (1 August 2017). "Man in an Orange Shirt review – a heartbreaking tale of happiness denied". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ^ Man in an Orange Shirt (TV Mini Series 2017) - Awards - IMDb, retrieved 16 February 2024
  9. ^ "Results for 'Patrick Gale' > 'Patrick Gale' [WorldCat.org]". worldcat.org. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Cornwall novelist Patrick Gale - ABC (none) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  11. ^ Gale, Patrick (20 October 2016). "Patrick Gale: why I started a new literature festival for shy writers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ^ "The Launch of Mother's Boy: the new novel by Sunday Times bestselling novelist and Charles Causley Patron, Patrick Gale". The Charles Causley Trust. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Our patron – Patrick Gale". www.pzlitfest.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Gale". Literature Works. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Patrick Gale » About Patrick".
  16. ^ "Gardeners' World - 2024: Episode 5" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
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