Ali Smith CBE FRSL was born in Inverness in 1962. Described by the author Sebastian Barry as ‘Scotland’s Nobel Laureate-in-waiting’, Ali is one of Britain’s foremost contemporary novelists.
Ali studied English Literature at Aberdeen University and began a PhD on American and Irish modernism at Newham College, Cambridge University. After teaching for two years at the University of Strathclyde and working for The Scotsman newspaper, in 1995 she published her first book of short stories, Free Love and Other Stories (Virago Press).
Ali is the author of Spring, Winter, Autumn, Public library and other stories, How to be both, Shire, Artful, There but for the, The first person and other stories, Girl Meets Boy, The Accidental, The whole story and other stories, Hotel World, Other stories and other stories, Like and Free Love.
Hotel World was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. The Accidental was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. How to be both won the Bailey’s Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize and the Costa Novel of the Year Award, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Autumn was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017 and Winter was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2018.
Ali Smith lives in Cambridge, and writes frequently for The Guardian, New Statesman and The Times Literary Supplement, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.