Alexander Masters is een auteur en scenarioschrijver wiens werk zich vaak richt op individuen die door de maatschappij over het hoofd worden gezien. Zijn schrijven wordt gekenmerkt door diep inzicht in de menselijke psychologie en een empathische weergave van zijn onderwerpen. Masters streeft ernaar de complexiteit van het menselijk leven te onthullen en biedt lezers een nieuw perspectief op de wereld. Zijn stijl is direct en meeslepend, waardoor lezers in het verhaal worden getrokken.
The winner of the Guardian First Book Award that reinvented the biographic form. One of the ten books - novels, memoirs and one very unusual biography - that make up our Matchbook Classics' series, a stunningly redesigned collection of some of the best loved titles on our backlist.
The author invites readers to explore the life of an overlooked individual, shedding light on their significance and the broader implications of forgotten lives. Through a compelling narrative, the book aims to celebrate the contributions and stories of those who have been marginalized or discarded by society, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the richness of human experience.
'Stuart does not like the manuscript. He's after a bestseller, "like what Tom Clancy writes". "But you are not an assassin trying to frazzle the president with anthrax bombs," I point out. You are an ex-homeless, ex-junkie psychopath, I do not add.' This is the story of a remarkable friendship between a reclusive writer ('a middle-class scum ponce, if you want to be honest about it, Alexander'), and Stuart Shorter, a homeless, knife-wielding thief. Told backwards - Stuart's idea - it starts with a deeply troubled thirty-two-year-old and ends with a 'happy-go-lucky little boy' of twelve. This brilliant biography, winner of the Guardian First Book Award, presents a humbling portrait of homeless life, and is as extraordinary and unexpected as the man it describes.
Unique, transgressive and as funny as its subject, A Life Discarded has all the suspense of a murder mystery. Written with his characteristic warmth, respect and humour, Masters asks you to join him in celebrating an unknown and important life left on the scrap heap.
From the author of `Stuart: A Life Backwards'; a warm and witty portrait of a harmless, eccentric, bona fide genius.