Laura Hird

Laura Hird (born 1966 in Edinburgh) is a British writer.

Life

The Scot Laura Hird has studied at Middlesex University in London. Since the mid- 1990s, she has published numerous short stories and the novel Born Free, which was nominated for the Orange Prize and the Whitbread First Novel Award. The novel was published in Holland, Finland, Poland, Spain, France, Germany and the USA. Hirds last release dates back to 2007.

According to the company Hird leaves her home city of Edinburgh as infrequently as possible and was only three times "right away from home ".

Born Free

The novel Born Free tells the story of a family in Edinburgh, Scotland. The mother Angie is an alcoholic and works in a betting shop. After it was dried over years, it starts again to drink, and plunges into an affair with her ​​work colleague Raymond. Your 15 -year-old daughter Joni propels itself around, steals and tries with all his might, before her 16th birthday, which is imminent, to lose their virginity. My 14 -year-old brother Jake 's Rangers fan is bullied by almost everybody and spends his time favorite computer games. Father Vic works as a bus driver, swallows antidepressants and is with himself and his family totally dissatisfied.

Raymond asks Angie vain to leave her husband and run away with him. Ramond eventually burn out and the day's takings. Angie has to answer for the fact, and loses her job. Joni, who has unsuccessfully tried to flirt with the uncle of her friend, goes with a trucker who falls asleep shortly before her 16th birthday with her. Jake, who is terribly lonely, befriends with the neighboring Catholic boy and noted that there are also normal families.

Vic has finally had enough of Angie's antics and want to kick it. Angie Raymond lost and sees no way out. But she knows that her daughter steals money from the secret family checkout. She threatens, Vic to tell about it, and demands that Joni speaks out with her father for Angie's retention in the family. Angie wins, the family stays together.

The novel is written in the presence. The story is told in the first person - form from four different perspectives that are constantly changing. The language is of particular person and adjusted continuously simple and colloquial.

"Full of black humor and pain, a comedy arose from the tragedy .... "

"Laura Hird is much more than just a female Irvine Welsh without heroin ... a strange, remarkable and extremely courageous debut. "

Works

• Nail and Other Stories ( short stories, 1997). German edition: nails. Eichborn Verlag, 2003.
• Born Free (novel, 1999). German edition: Born Free. Eichborn Verlag, 2001./Droemer Knaur 2005.
• Hope and Other Urban Tales ( short stories, 2006), have been published only in the UK
• Dear Laura: Letters from a Mother to her Daughter (letters, 2007), have been published only in the UK
• The Dilating Pupil In: Children of Albion Rovers: An Anthology of New Scottish Writing, 1997.