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Alba Arikha

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Alba Arikha (born 1966) is a French-born writer who lives and works in the United Kingdom.

Early life

Brought up in Paris, her father was the Franco-Israeli artist Avigdor Arikha. Her mother is the American poet, Anne Atik.[1] Her sister, Noga Arikha, is a historian of ideas.[2]

Arikha received her BA from Hampshire College, and her MFA from Columbia University.

Career

Arikha has written five books. Her first two, Muse[3] and Walking on Ice,[4] were written under the name Alba Branca.

Arikha’s memoir Major/Minor[5] was published in 2011 by Quartet Books. Charting her artistic childhood in Paris, coupled with memories of her godfather, Samuel Beckett, the book was shortlisted for the Spear’s Awards[6] and selected by the New Yorker among the best books of 2012.[7] The paperback edition was published in 2017.

She wrote a narrative poem, ‘Soon,’ published by CB Editions in 2013[8] and turned into an opera, one of two projects Arikha collaborated on as librettist with her husband, composer Tom Smail.[9] It was performed in August 2013, at the Riverside Studios, in London.[8]

The second one, 'Blue Electric,' based on Major/Minor was performed in August 2018 at the Tête-à-Tête Opera festival at RADA,[10] and was directed by Hugh Hudson.

Her new novel, ‘Where to find me,’ was published by Alma Books in 2018.[11]

Themes of identity and displacement remain central to her work.

Arikha is a regular contributor to Radio 4,[12] and was included in Pick of the Week.[13] Since 2012, she has been teaching creative writing for various institutions such as the Royal Academy of Art[14] and the Chocolate Factory[15] and has been involved with Guardian masterclasses,[16] since 2015, where she teaches classes on short fiction. In Spring 2017 she was Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University,[17] where she taught a masterclass in non-fiction.

In addition to her writing, Arikha is also a singer/songwriter and has performed in Paris and London. She has recorded two CD’s of songs, ‘Si j’ai aimé’[18] and ‘Dans les rues de Paris.’[19] She has also written a song based on the main character of her novel, ‘Where to find me.’

Personal life

Alba Arikha is married to the composer Tom Smail, and lives in London, with her two children.[20]

Bibliography

Fiction:

  • Muse (1998)
  • Walking on Ice (2000)
  • Where to find me (2018)

Non-Fiction:

  • Major/Minor (2011)
  • Soon (2013)

Operas:

  • Soon (2013)
  • Blue Electric (2018)

Music:

  • Si j’ai aimé (2007)
  • Dans les rues de Paris (2011)
  • Where to find me (2018)

References

  1. ^ Savas, Aysegul (2018-01-22). "The Poet Upstairs". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  2. ^ "Noga Arikha - official web site - welcome". www.nogaarikha.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  3. ^ results, search (1999-03-12). Muse (New ed.). London: Pan Books. ISBN 9780330352666. ASIN 0330352660.
  4. ^ results, search (2000-01-07). Walking on Ice. London: Pan Books. ISBN 9780330352673. ASIN 0330352679.
  5. ^ [(https://www.quartetbooks.co.uk/shop/majorminor/) "Quartet Books - Major/Minor"]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  6. ^ "Spear's Book Awards 2014". Spear's Magazine. 2014-09-28. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  7. ^ "Best Books of 2012". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  8. ^ a b "CB editions - publisher of new writing - Arikha". www.cbeditions.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  9. ^ "Tom Smail". www.tomsmail.net. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  10. ^ "Blue Electric | Tête à Tête - The Future of Opera". Tête à Tête - The Future of Opera. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  11. ^ "Where to Find Me - Alma Books". Alma Books. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  12. ^ "Alba Arikha, Reading Europe - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  13. ^ "Cross-Channel Journal, Series 1, The Channel - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  14. ^ "The Portrait: a short story inspired by Hockney | Blog | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  15. ^ "Writing Courses – Haringey Literature Live". haringeyliteraturelive.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  16. ^ "Guardian Masterclasses". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  17. ^ "Faculty & Staff". Columbia - School of the Arts. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  18. ^ "Si j'ai aimé | Alba Arikha". www.albaarikha.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  19. ^ "Dans les rues de Paris | Alba Arikha". www.albaarikha.com. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  20. ^ "Author, Pianist, Singer & Songwriter | Alba Arikha". www.albaarikha.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
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