Candice Carty-Williams is a prominent British writer who made her debut in 2019 with the acclaimed novel "Queenie." This book went on to earn several accolades, including being named Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, making Carty-Williams the first black woman to win this honor in its history.
Born in 1989, Carty-Williams' life is as fascinating as her writing. She was born as a result of an affair between a Jamaican cab driver with limited speech and a Jamaican-Indian dyslexic receptionist who was known for her talkative nature. Carty-Williams studied Media at Sussex, a decision influenced by her sixth form teachers who believed she wasn't intelligent enough to pursue English. However, she proved them wrong by first working at the Guardian Guide and then transitioning into publishing at the age of 23.
Throughout her career, Carty-Williams has made significant contributions to the literary world. She has worked on marketing literary fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels. One of her early career highlights includes interviewing David Cronenberg and telling him that if she were a white man, she'd like to look like him. Her boldness impressed Cronenberg, who responded by calling her a 'delightful person.' In 2016, Carty-Williams created and launched the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, a platform designed to discover, celebrate, and champion black, Asian, and minority ethnic writers. In addition to her work in publishing, she regularly contributes to Refinery29 and i-D.