Melvin Burgess

Melvin Burgess is one of the most influential writers in recent years. His books are famed for being highly controversial, and extremely captivating reads. Much of his success has been attributed to his ability to capture the minds of the older teenage generation, a group generally neglected by many authors.

Born in Sussex in 1954 he achieved little of note in school, he often found himself in trouble for being inattentive and for doing what he wanted to do, rather than the work that was set. In all his 7 years at secondary school left him with two, rather poor, A-Level results. One in English and one in Biology. After school he spent six months training as a journalist, then as soon as he finished his training he quit the job, his mind was set, he was determined to become a writer. He then spent many years doing casual work and writing in between. After many years of unpublished work he hit success with his book "The Cry of the Wolf" and it was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

Books

Here is a little about a few of his most famous books.

Junk - By far the most successful of all his books Junk tells the story of Tar, and his girlfriend Gem. Embroiled in drugs and the punk culture Burgess drew much of this book from his own experience of Bristol in the early eighties. The book is a fantastic read, each chapter is narrated by a different character and so the book gives a wonderful impression of how much difference perspective can make on a persons view of a situation.

A Lady -