Andrea Levy (1956–2019)

Andrea Levy was born in London, England in 1956 to Jamaican parents of mixed descent. She studied textile design and became a costume assistant. She took a creative-writing class and started writing in her 30s. Her first novel, Every Light in the House Burnin', was published in 1994. Her novels chronicled the experience of Jamaican immigrants in Britain. Her other works included Fruit of the Lemon, Six Stories and an Essay, and The Long Song. Small Island won the Orange Prize for fiction and the Whitbread Award for the book of the year. She died from cancer on February 14, 2019 at the age of 62. (Bowker Author Biography) — biography from Small Island… (more)