After a mentorship with Margaret Atwood, Alderman published The Power, a novel that’s considered to be the 21st century’s The Handmaid’s Tale. It has defined much of the public’s understanding of who Alderman is. But there is far more to know about this up-and-coming author.
Naomi Alderman’s first novel was published in 2006
Disobedience was Alderman’s first book. It was published in 2006 and has since been translated into more than ten languages. It follows the life of a young woman, the daughter of a rabbi, who discovers her bisexuality while living in New York. After returning home to her Orthodox community in London, she’s faced with local outrage.
She won the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction
Naomi Alderman’s The Power was awarded the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2017 after it was published. The award is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award celebrating novels written by women. Previous winners include Marilynne Robinson, Barabara Kingsolver, Rose Tremain, Zadie Smith, and Andrea Levy.
Naomi Alderman is a science fiction fan
While her novels have some science fiction inspiration, the author is herself a fan of the genre, including in the form of television shows. One of Alderman’s few published novels is Doctor Who: Borrowed Time which was inspired by the BBC series of the same name. It includes the 11th Doctor, played by Matt Smith in the TV show, as well as the characters Amy Pond and Rory Williams.
She lost her attachment to religion while writing Disobedience
When speaking about her novel Disobedience, Naomi Alderman noted that she lost all attachment to her Jewish faith while writing. Despite growing up in an orthodox Jewish community, writing the book effectively ended religion’s attraction for her.
Her best-known book is The Power
Without a doubt, Naomi Alderman’s best-known book is The Power. The novel was published in 2016 and sits firmly in the genre of feminist dystopia. The book was inspired by Alderman’s time writing alongside Margaret Atwood, the Canadian author responsible for some of the most genre-defining literature of the 20th century.
The Power imagines a world in which women take on the dominant role in society after developing a life-changing power—to create electricity at their fingertips. They rise from oppression but then become the oppressors and warmongers themselves.
She worked as a games writer
Naomi Alderman worked for a time as a games writer. She was the lead writer for Perplex City and is the co-creator of the best-selling game- Zombies, Run! She also writes a regular column on gaming for The Observer.
One of her books was named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by the New York Times
The Power was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the New York Times when it was released in 2016. This is only one of several honors the novel received (and that it continues to receive). Today, the book is considered a landmark work in feminist dystopian fiction and has been career-defining for the author.
Alderman was named one of the best Young British Novelists by Granta
Inclusion on this once-a-decade list is an incredibly prestigious honor. The list is released in order to honor up-and-coming as well as established authors that Granta believes will be instrumental in defining British literature. The winners traveled around the world to read to new audiences in more than ten countries with the hope of inspiring new readers and writers.
Alderman’s The Power is being made into a television show
The Power is a best-selling fiction novel, and today it’s being made into a television series for Amazon Prime Video. It takes the same name and will include ten episodes in the first season.
The show stars Toni Collette as Margot Cleary-Lopez (who will be the mayor of Seattle rather than an unnamed Northeast American state), Toheeb Jim as Tunde, Ria Zmitrowicz as Roxy, Zrinka Cvitešić as Tatiana Moskalev, and more.
It’s being produced by Jane Featherstone and Alderman and employs an all-female writers’ room. Filming is taking place in England and Toronto, and Walvis Bay in Namibia.
Naomi Alderman had a mentorship with Margaret Atwood
In 2012, Alderman was chosen by Atwood to participate in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Together, the two worked on “The Happy Zombie Sunrise Home,” a self-published work.
Because of her time working alongside the Canadian author, Alderman dedicated her feminist dystopia, The Power to Atwood. There are many similarities between Alderman’s novel and Atwood’s best-known, The Handmaid’s Tale. Both take place in dystopian worlds where women are at the center of the stories. The Power has been named “this era’s ‘Handmaid’s Tale’” by the Washington Post.
But, unlike The Power, The Handmaid’s Tale has clear female protagonists who readers side with throughout the novel as they contend with a very particular type of oppression.
FAQs
What is Naomi Alderman known for?
Naomi Alderman is known for her feminist dystopian novel, The Power. Of her novels, it is by far the best-known and the one readers most commonly associated with her name.
What is The Power by Naomi Alderman about?
The Power is about a world in which young women develop the power to inflict pain or even deadly jolts of electricity from their fingertips. The book focuses on the results of this significant shift in the gender power dynamic.
What does Naomi Alderman write about?
Naomi Alderman has touched on a variety of subjects and genres in her writing. This includes sexuality, growing up, religion, gender roles, and power. She’s even written fan fiction.
What genre is The Power by Naomi Alderman?
The book is a feminist dystopian fiction novel. It also has science fiction elements. Alderman chose to format the novel as a frame narrative. Preceding and following the bulk of the book are letters between Naomi Alderman herself and the fictional Neil Adam.
