James Crace FRSL (born 1 March 1946) is an English writer who writes novels, plays, and short stories. In 1999, he became a member of the Royal Society of Literature. He was born in Hertfordshire and taught at the University of Texas at Austin. His novels have been translated into 28 languages, including Norwegian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Hebrew.

Crace’s first novel, Continent, was published in 1986. His book Signals of Distress received the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize in 1994. His next novel, Quarantine, won the Whitbread Novel Prize in 1997 and was considered for the Booker Prize that same year. His book Being Dead received the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1999. His novel Harvest was considered for the 2013 Booker Prize, received the 2013 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and won the 2015 International Dublin Literary Award.

In 1996, Crace received the American Academy of Arts and Letters E. M. Forster Award. In 2015, he was honored with the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize.

Early life

Crace was born in 1946 at Brocket Hall, a traditional country house in Hertfordshire, while it was used as a maternity hospital. In 2013, Crace described his father as "a grumpy leftwing atheist who was kind in important matters but strict and rigid in other ways." He also said he loved his father, who enjoyed activities like birdwatching, walking, gardening, reading, and playing tennis. Crace admitted he had become very similar to his father as he grew older. A copy of Roget's Thesaurus, given to him by his father as a Christmas gift when he was 11 years old, remained with him throughout his life as a "constant companion" and his most valued possession.

Crace grew up in Enfield, London, and attended Enfield Grammar School. At school, he participated in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Keep Left but did not take his A-Levels. He later enrolled at the Birmingham College of Commerce. He joined Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and worked in Sudan. After one year, he returned to the United Kingdom and briefly worked for the BBC.

From 1976 to 1987, Crace worked as a freelance journalist, including for The Sunday Times and Radio Times. He left this career after an experience at The Sunday Times, where his report on the Broadwater Farm riot did not receive approval from his editor because he avoided describing the estate's extremely poor conditions in enough detail.

Personal life

After living in the Moseley area of Birmingham for many years with his wife, Pamela Turton, Crace announced at the age of 67 that they would move to rural Worcestershire. He explained, "You're supposed to want to downsize, but we actually want to upsize," meaning they wanted to move to a bigger home. Crace described living in Birmingham as "politically important to be in a place where new ideas are being developed instead of focusing on the past," which he contrasted with living in a Cotswolds village.

Crace and Turton have two children: Thomas Charles Crace, born in 1981, and Lauren Rose Crace, born in 1986. Lauren is an actress who played the character Danielle Jones in the television show EastEnders. Crace later became a grandfather.

Crace is a scientific atheist and a supporter of modern Darwinist ideas, which means he believes in science and evolution. He was once a member of the British Labour Party but left the party because of disagreements over its position on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Influences

Crace has shown respect for authors such as Günter Grass, Italo Calvino, and Primo Levi. He also mentioned that he likes them more than Kundera and prefers the Latin American magical realists.

Writing

In 1974, Crace published his first story, "Annie, California Plates," in The New Review. Over the next 10 years, he wrote many short stories and radio plays, including Helter Skelter, Hang Sorrow, Care'll Kill a Cat, and Refugees. Refugees won a short story competition judged by John Fowles, Fay Weldon, and Terry Eagleton. Other works, such as Seven Ages and The Bird Has Flown, were broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. A Coat of Many Colours was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Crace has always supported socialist ideas, though this is not clear from his books. He once said that his younger self would feel disappointed reading his stories, which focus more on style than politics. He also admitted to forgetting details from his own books.

After being asked to review a book by Gabriel García Márquez, Crace decided to write his first novel. He believed he could do better than the book he was reviewing. His first novel, Continent, was published in 1986. It includes seven stories connected by their settings and themes. Crace was 40 years old when Continent was published.

Crace’s second book, The Gift of Stones, is set during the Bronze Age. He based a scene in the book on his father’s experience with a serious illness. His third book, Arcadia, was published in 1992. It features a character named Victor, who runs a market in a city similar to Covent Garden in London.

Signals of Distress (1994) is set in the 19th century and includes a story about an enslaved African man and a man who helps him. Quarantine (1997) is about Jesus in the Judean desert. Crace intended to rewrite a traditional story but ended up writing a book that many readers found meaningful for their religious beliefs.

Being Dead (1999) begins with a couple murdered near sand dunes. The Devil's Larder (2001) is a collection of 64 stories, many about food. Six (2003) was Crace’s least successful book, as he struggled to focus while caring for his mother. Other books, such as The Pest House, followed.

Crace planned to write a book called Archipelago but abandoned it after 40,000 words. The next day, he began writing Harvest, which was published in 2013. Set in a rural area over seven days, Harvest won the International Dublin Literary Award. Crace called the win a success for his publisher, who supported his work.

After Harvest, Crace wrote The Melody (2018), about an elderly man who discovers a mysterious creature. Eden (2022) is set in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled.

Crace once said that writing requires a moment of "abandonment," where the story takes control. He also disagreed with Hilary Mantel’s views on historical fiction, stating he prefers making up stories rather than focusing on facts. He once said, "I adore falseness. I want you to lie about what happened yesterday."

A critic once said reading Crace’s work feels like a migraine, but Crace called the comment "very funny." The University of Texas has collected Crace’s archives for study.