Claire Adam
Trinidadian author
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Claire Adam (born 1973/1974)[1] is a Trinidad and Tobago-born author whose first novel Golden Child triggered critical acclaim.[2][3][4]
Republic of Ireland
Claire Adam | |
|---|---|
| Born | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Trinidad and Tobago Republic of Ireland |
| Alma mater | Brown University; Goldsmiths, University of London |
| Notable works | Golden Child (2019) |
| Notable awards | Desmond Elliott Prize McKitterick Prize |
On 5 November 2019, the BBC News listed Golden Child on its list of the 100 most inspiring novels.[3] Adam's second novel, Love Forms, was longlisted for the Booker Prize in July 2025.[5]
Biography
Claire Adam was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, the youngest of four children. Her father was a doctor and university lecturer at the University of the West Indies. Her mother, also a doctor, is Irish. After having children, her mother stopped practising medicine.[6]
Leaving Trinidad at the age of 18,[6] Adam went to the United States, where she studied Physics at Brown University.[7] She then lived for some years in Italy and Ireland, before settling in London, England.[8] She earned an MA degree in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she began work on her first novel, Golden Child (2019), which was awarded the 2019 Desmond Elliott Prize for best debut novel.[9] Golden Child also won the 2020 McKitterick Prize, the 2019 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award, and was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize and the Edinburgh International Book Festival's First Book Award.[10]
Adam's second novel, Love Forms, was longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize.[11]
Awards and recognition
| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Golden Child | Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award | Fiction | Won | [12] |
| Desmond Elliott Prize | — | Won | [13][14] | ||
| 2020 | Authors' Club Best First Novel Award | — | Won | [15][16] | |
| Diverse Book Awards | Adult | 2nd Place | [17][18] | ||
| Edinburgh International Book Festival's First Book Award | — | Longlisted | |||
| Jhalak Prize | — | Longlisted | [16][19] | ||
| McKitterick Prize | — | Won | [20] | ||
| 2025 | Love Forms | Booker Prize | — | Longlisted | [11] |
Works
- —— (2019). Golden Child (hardcover 1st ed.). London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571339808.
- —— (2025). Love Forms (hardcover 1st ed.). London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571339549.