Nicola Dinan
Malaysian-British writer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicola Dinan (born 15 March 1994) is a British-Malaysian novelist. Her debut novel Bellies (2023) won the Polari First Book Prize.
Nicola Dinan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 March 1994 |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Notable work | Bellies (2023) |
| Awards | Polari First Book Prize |
Early life
Dinan was born in British Hong Kong to a British father and a Malaysian Chinese mother and grew up between there and Kuala Lumpur,[1][2] where she attended an international school.[3] Dinan began her studies in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and "ended up specialising in the history and philosophy of science".[4] She then pursued a law conversion and subsequently worked at a law firm reviewing contracts.[5][6] While penning her debut novel, Dinan joined the Faber Academy's Writing a Novel workshop.[7][8]
Career
In March 2022, Doubleday won a nine-way auction to publish Dinan's debut novel Bellies in summer 2023.[9][10] Starting the writing process in 2020, she had initially written Bellies as a short story titled "early morning single bed".[11][12] Set in the late 2010s, the novel explores how its main character Ming's transition impacts her interpersonal relationships rather than portraying the process as "highly individual".[13] Bellies was shortlisted for the 2021 Mo Siewcharran Prize,[14] won the 2024 Polari First Book Prize[15] and was a finalist for the 2024 Annual Lambda Literary Awards Transgender Fiction Prize.[16]
In 2024, Dinan joined Royal Holloway, University of London as a tutor on the university's Creative Writing MA course.[7] She reunited with Doubleday[17] for the publication of her second novel Disappoint Me in 2025.[18][19] Disappoint Me was a Service95 Book Club pick[20] and won the inaugural New Adult Book Prize.[21]
In 2025, Dinan was selected as a judge for the Polari Prize, but resigned in protest against the inclusion of trans-exclusionary activist John Boyne in the longlist.[22]
Dinan is in the process of writing her third novel and first work of speculative fiction, set in 1987 Hong Kong.[23]
Adaptations
Ahead of its release, Element Pictures optioned the rights to adapt Bellies for television.[24]
Bibliography
- Bellies (2023)
- Disappoint Me (2025)
Accolades
- 2021 Mo Siewcharran Prize (shortlisted)
- 2024 Annual Lambda Literary Awards Transgender Fiction Prize (finalist)
- 2024 Polari First Book Prize
- 2025 New Adult Book Prize