Imogen Hermes Gowar
{{Short description|British writer}}
{{Infobox author
| name = Imogen Hermes Gowar
| notable_works = The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock (2018)
| website = {{URL|https://www.imogenhermesgowar.co.uk}}
| alma_mater = University of East Anglia
| genre = Historical fiction
| awards = Betty Trask Award (2018)
| occupation = Writer
| language = English
| citizenship = United Kingdom
}}
Imogen Hermes Gowar is a British author. She published her debut novel The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, winning a Betty Trask Award in 2019; it became shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction.
Personal life and early career
Gowar's great-grandmother was the engraver and sculptor Gertrude Hermes.{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Helen |date=2018-01-24 |title=Imogen Hermes Gowar on mermaids, mummies and writing this year's must-read historical novel |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/imogen-hermes-gowar-mermaids-mummies-writing-years-must-read/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}
Gowar studied archaeology, anthropology and art history at the University of East Anglia.{{Cite web |title=The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock review: Historical fiction at its finest |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-mermaid-and-mrs-hancock-review-historical-fiction-at-its-finest-1.3353051 |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}} She then worked in museums, including in Visitor Services at the British Museum, while writing short fiction inspired by the exhibits. She also worked as a barista in London prior to publishing her first book.
Writing career
In 2013, Gowar won the Malcolm Bradbury Memorial Scholarship to study for a master's degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Her dissertation developed into her debut novel The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock. The novel won a Betty Trask Award in 2019 and was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award in 2018.{{Cite web |date=2020-05-08 |title=Betty Trask Prize - The Society of Authors |url=https://www2.societyofauthors.org/prizes/the-soa-awards/betty-trask-prize-awards/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=2018-04-23 |title=Women's prize for fiction shortlist favours new voices over big hitters |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/23/womens-prize-for-fiction-shortlist-new-voices-imogen-hermes-gowar |access-date=2024-04-11 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |last=team |first=Code8 |last2=Pickard |first2=Maddy |date=2018-11-23 |title=Imogen Hermes Gowar, shortlisted 2018 |url=https://www.youngwriteraward.com/imogen-hermes-gowar-shortlisted-2018/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Young Writer of the Year Award |language=en-GB}} It was also longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize in 2018.{{Cite web |last=locusmag |date=2018-03-23 |title=2018 Desmond Elliott Prize Longlist |url=https://locusmag.com/2018/03/2018-desmond-elliott-prize-longlist/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Locus Online |language=en-US}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Alumni of the University of East Anglia
Category:British women writers