Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, a Spanish writer, depicted with the tools of the trade.

A writer is a person who produces literature or nonfiction, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, essays, articles, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images.

A writer's output sometimes contributes to the cultural content of a society, and a society may value his or her work as art.

Broadly, a writer is anyone who writes, especially one who writes professionally. The term writer is customarily used as a synonym of author, although the latter term has a somewhat broader meaning.^[1]

See also[link]

	Writing portal
	Literature portal

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Writers

Ellie Goulding
Goulding performing at Lincoln Hall, Chicago, U.S., March 30, 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Elena Jane Goulding
Born	(1986-12-30) 30 December 1986 (age 25) Hereford, Herefordshire, England
Origin	London, England
Genres	Indie pop, electropop, synthpop, folktronica
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, drummer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, drums, piano, clarinet, mandolin, tambourine
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Neon Gold, Polydor, Cherrytree, Interscope
Associated acts	Starsmith, Frankmusik, Diana Vickers, Gabriella Cilmi, Little Boots, Tinie Tempah, Erik Hassle, Lissie, Mumford & Sons, Skrillex,Swedish House Mafia, Lupe Fiasco, DJ Daaar
Website	elliegoulding.com

Elena Jane Goulding (born 30 December 1986),^[1] known professionally as Ellie Goulding, is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008. After signing to Polydor Records in 2009, she released her first EP in 2009, An Introduction to Ellie Goulding, followed by her debut studio album Lights in 2010. Her album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and has sold over 650,000 copies in the UK. "Lights" was released in America March 8th 2011, where the title track has been certified platinum by the RIAA (excess of 1 million units sold) ^[2].

Goulding is a soprano,^[3] and her musical style has been compared to that of Kate Nash, Meiko, Lykke Li and Tracey Thorn.^[4]

Background and personal life[link]

Goulding was born and brought up in a small town near Hereford, Herefordshire, the second of four children.^[5][6] She began playing the clarinet at the age of nine, and at 14 began learning guitar. She attended Lady Hawkins' School in Kington, where she won a main part in a school production, the Wizard Of Oz, as the scarecrow. She started songwriting at the age of 15 and while in college she won a singing competition.^[7]

After commencing a drama course, politics course, and an English course at the University of Kent,^[8] where she was exposed to electronic music, she developed her sound on the track "Wish I Stayed" with the help of Starsmith and Frankmusik. Starsmith went on to become her chief collaborator and primary producer of Lights. After two years at Kent, she was advised to take a gap year to pursue singing,^[9][10] and moved to West London.^[11]

She is a keen runner, running six miles every day, and in 2010 announced plans to run a marathon.^[6] In support of her second EP, Run Into the Light, she invited a small number of fans through her Facebook pages, to run with her in seven different cities on her UK tour,^[12] and has announced that she will be doing the same across Europe and the United States. Goulding is considered to have an impressively athletic physique.^[13][14][15]

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

Signed to Polydor Records in September 2009,^[9] Goulding's debut single, "Under the Sheets", was released digitally in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2009,^[16] peaking at number fifty-three on the UK Singles Chart.^[17] In October 2009 she toured the UK supporting Little Boots,^[18] and appeared on Later... with Jools Holland, performing "Under the Sheets" and "Guns and Horses".^[19] "Wish I Stayed" was available as a free download as the Single of the Week on iTunes Store UK from 22–28 December 2009.^[20]

[edit] 2009–11: Lights and Bright Lights

Before the release of her debut studio album, Goulding won the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, which showcases the critics, broadcasters and music industry insiders' top choices for rising stars and artists for the coming year.^[21] She also won the Critics' Choice Award at the 2010 BRIT Awards, which prize made her the second artist to win both in the same year.^[22]

Goulding performing in Amsterdam on 17 September 2010.

Goulding's debut album Lights was released in March 2010, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and number six on the Irish Albums Chart.^[23][24][25] Its singles, "Starry Eyed", "Guns and Horses" and "The Writer" peaked at numbers 4, 26, and 19 respectively.^[17] The album has sold over 650,000 copies in the UK as of April 2012.^[26] In August 2010, Goulding released a second EP, Run Into the Light, containing remixes of songs from Lights. The album was supported by Nike and was released through Polydor as a running soundtrack in an effort to get Goulding's music taken up by the national running subculture.^[12]

In November 2010, Lights was re-released as Bright Lights, with six new tracks added. It was originally announced that the lead single from Bright Lights would be the new edit of the title track with a release scheduled for 1 November 2010.^[27] Yet this was scrapped to allow her cover of Elton John's "Your Song" to be released in conjunction with the John Lewis Christmas 2010 advertising campaign in the UK.^[28] The single became Goulding's highest-charting single to date, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.^[17] The song also charted in some European countries in early 2011.^[29]

Goulding toured in support of Lights and supported Passion Pit in March 2010 and John Mayall during his British tour in May 2010.^[30] During the summer she performed at a number of festivals. On 29 May she performed at the Dot to Dot Festival in Bristol.^[12] She performed a set on 25 June at the Glastonbury Festival 2010 on the John Peel Stage.^[31] Her third EP was a live recording of part of her set at the iTunes Festival 2010.^[32] The whole set was ultimately included as bonus content on the iTunes version of Bright Lights.^[33] She made her T in the Park debut on 11 July.^[34] She played on the Nissan Juke Arena at the 2010 V Festival in late August.^[35] In September she was part of the line-up at Bestival 2010 on the Isle of Wight.^[36] In support of the album in Europe she performed on the first day of Pukkelpop in Belgium, at the Open'er Festival in Poland and at Benicàssim in Spain.^[37] A track from Lights, "Every Time You Go", was featured in the Vampire Diaries episode "Founder's Day", "Your Biggest Mistake" appeared in an episode of The Inbetweeners.^[38] and "Believe Me" appeared in an episode of 90210. She began a tour of the United States and Canada in February 2011 to coincide with the release of the American edition of Lights.^[39] In August/September 2010 the singer was an opening act on Irish alternative rock band U2's U2 360 Tour in Munich, Germany, Vienna, Austria, and Zurich, Switzerland.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2011 it was announced that the title track from Lights would serve as the second single from Bright Lights.^[40] In early 2011 she recorded an original song for the film Life in a Day. Goulding was placed at number five on Rolling Stone's annual hot list in February 2011.^[41] In February 2011 she returned to the BRIT Awards where she was nominated for Best British Female and Best British Breakthrough Act, but lost out to Laura Marling and Tinie Tempah, respectively.^[42] Previously she had performed at the BRITs launch party where the nominations were announced.

She also played live at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2011.^[6] Goulding made her American television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live on 7 April 2011 performing "Starry Eyed". She appeared as the musical guest on the 700th episode of the Saturday Night Live, broadcast 7 May 2011 and hosted by Tina Fey.^[43][44] She served as one of many live performers at the wedding reception of Prince William and Kate Middleton on 29 April 2011 singing her rendition of "Your Song" for the couple's first dance as well as her hits "The Writer" and "Starry Eyed" and several of William and Kate's personal favourites.^[45] She was introduced to Prince William by Tinie Tempah at a music festival during the summer of 2010. Goulding performed, for the second consecutive year, at Radio 1's Big Weekend on Saturday 14 May.^[46]

Goulding headlined the 2011 Wakestock Festival in Wales, performing on 8 July.^[47] In August she, again, performed at V Festival for her second year in a row.^[48] Following the re-release of Lights and the American release of the album, Goulding said she would soon begin work on a second studio album with an expected release in September 2011.^[49]

On 6 August 2011, Goulding performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago.^[50] Goulding performed at the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert on 11 December 2011 in Oslo, Norway, where she also served on a panel discussion with Amy Lee of Evanescence and Janelle Monáe.^[51] On 1 December 2011, Goulding performed at the White House during the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, alongside the likes of Big Time Rush and will.i.am.^[52] On 18 January 2012, Goulding performed "Lights" on Late Show with David Letterman.^[53]

2011–present: Second studio album[link]

In February 2011, Goulding told the Daily Star that she had plans to release a follow-up to Lights sometime in 2012, commenting, "I'm not going to go away for ages. It'll be out this year or the start of next."^[54] The following month, when asked about the album's musical direction in an interview with gossip website Dean Piper's World, Goulding stated, "It's started to sound very dark and very weird. This album is going to be even more emotional [...] I wanted to make it so there is hope. I want to make an effect whether it's happy or sad."^[55] In April 2012, Goulding stated that she hoped the album would be released in October 2012.^[26] That same month, her single Lights was certified platinum in the United States by the RIAA ^[56].

Work with other artists[link]

Goulding co-wrote "Love Me 'Cause You Want To" for Gabriella Cilmi's second album, Ten, and three songs, "Remake Me + You", "Notice" and "Jumping Into Rivers", for Diana Vickers's debut album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree.^[57] Her song "Not Following" was used by German singer Lena on her debut album My Cassette Player.^[58] Goulding was featured on rapper Tinie Tempah's single "Wonderman" from his debut studio album Disc-Overy. Goulding's "Under the Sheets" was also remixed by American rap duo Chiddy Bang, featured on their 2010 mixtape Air Swell, and by DJ Frenzy (F^K Y3AH! Breaks Mix). Frankmusik, who produced Goulding's song "Wish I Stayed", told Digital Spy he hoped to collaborate with her on his second album, Do It in the AM.^[59] "Lights" was remixed by Bassnectar, which appears on his 2011 album Divergent Spectrum.

On 19 September 2011, it was announced that Goulding would open for Katy Perry on her "California Dreams Tour", replacing Jessie J due to a foot injury.^[60][61]

On 14 December 2011, Mika announced that Goulding had involvement in his upcoming album The Origin of Love.^[62]

Goulding collaborated with American electro artist and producer Skrillex on a song titled "Summit", included on his 2011 EP Bangarang.

Discography[link]

• 2010: Lights

Tours[link]

Headlining[link] Ellie Goulding Tour (2010) The LIGHTS Tour (US) (2011) Awards and nominations[link] Year Organization Nominated work Category Result 2010 BBC Sound of 2010 Ellie Goulding Sound of 2010 Won BRIT Awards Critics' Choice Won Q Awards Best Female Artist Nominated Best Breakthrough Artist Nominated MTV Europe Music Awards Best UK & Ireland Act Nominated 2010 MP3 Music Awards The BNC Award Nominated BT Digital Music Awards Best Female Artist Nominated UK Festival Awards Best Breakthrough Artist Nominated Virgin Media Music Awards Best Newcomer Nominated Lights Best Album Nominated 2011 BRIT Awards Ellie Goulding Best British Female Nominated Best British Breakthrough Act Nominated 2011 Glamour Magazine Awards Pandora Newcomer of the Year 2011 Won References[link] ^ "Ellie Goulding". BBC Music. BBC Online. 2009. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/33ca19f4-18c8-4411-98df-ac23890ce9f5#p00cx3z0. Retrieved 19 February 2011.  ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a378404/ellie-goulding-tops-one-million-single-sales-in-us.html ^ Rosen, Jody (8 March 2011). "Lights". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/lights-20110308. Retrieved 8 March 2011.  ^ Lester, Paul (16 February 2009). "New band of the day – No 486: Ellie Goulding". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/feb/16/new-band-ellie-goulding. Retrieved 19 February 2011.  ^ "About « Ellie Goulding". elliegoulding.com. http://elliegoulding.com/about. Retrieved 20 January 2012.  ^ a b c Harrod, Horatia (21 February 2011). "'He was Obsessed with Murder': Ellie Goulding interview". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/8338164/He-was-Obsessed-with-Murder-Ellie-Goulding-interview.html. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ "Ellie Goulding – EPK". YouTube. 19 January 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psrbUiOErrc. Retrieved 24 February 2011.  ^ Smart, Gordon (12 August 2010). "Ellie: My stepdad was horrible. He had no brains. If I saw him again I'd punch him in the face". The Sun. News Group Newspapers. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/3091719/Ellie-Goulding-on-her-turbulent-childhood.html. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ a b Ferguson, Paul (4 September 2009). "Herefordshire singer, Ellie Goulding, signs recording deal with Polydor". Hereford Times. Newsquest. http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/4581912.Herefordshire_singer__Ellie_Goulding__signs_recording_deal_with_Polydor/. Retrieved 8 January 2010.  ^ "Ellie Goulding's spiritual home". BBC Mid Wales. 17 November 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/midwales/hi/people_and_places/music/newsid_8362000/8362162.stm. Retrieved 8 January 2010.  ^ "University drop-out Ellie Goulding named as top breakthrough music act for 2010". Daily Record. 8 January 2010. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/music-news/2010/01/08/university-drop-out-ellie-goulding-named-as-top-breakthrough-music-act-for-2010-86908-21952076/. Retrieved 8 January 2010.  ^ a b c Sabbagh, Dan (20 February 2011). "Music is thriving, but the business is dying. Who can make it pay again?". The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/20/pop-music-business-digital-revolution. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ "Are you taking workout tips from Madonna? Ellie Goulding shows off muscular biceps and toned pins in Lycra". Daily Mail. Mail Online. 20 May 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1389003/Ellie-Goulding-shows-muscular-biceps-toned-pins-Lycra.html. Retrieved 26 May 2011.  ^ Higbee, Jonathan (4 March 2011). "From Sea to Shining Sea: Instinct Interviews Ellie Goulding". Instinct. http://instinctmagazine.com/blogs/web-exclusives/from-sea-to-shining-sea-instinct-interviews-ellie-goulding. Retrieved 26 May 2011.  ^ Kelly, Kristy (25 May 2011). "Ellie Goulding: 'I'm ripped for a girl'". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a321435/ellie-goulding-im-ripped-for-a-girl.html. Retrieved 26 May 2011.  ^ "Under the Sheets – EP by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/under-the-sheets-ep/id338264167. Retrieved 2 January 2010.  ^ a b c "Ellie Goulding". Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=12453. Retrieved 20 August 2010.  ^ Leanne (28 September 2009). "Little Boots To Release New Single 'Earthquake'". Glasswerk National. http://www.glasswerk.co.uk/news/national/6730/Little+Boots+To+Release+New+Single+Earthquake. Retrieved 1 October 2009.  ^ "Later... with Jools Holland, Series 35, Episode 7". BBC Two. BBC Online. 30 October 2009. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00npj43. Retrieved 18 December 2009.  ^ "Wish I Stayed – Single of the Week by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/wish-i-stayed-single-week/id347421814. Retrieved 26 December 2009.  ^ Youngs, Ian (8 January 2010). "Ellie Goulding tops BBC Sound of 2010 music list". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8442389.stm. Retrieved 8 January 2008.  ^ Press Association (9 December 2009). "Newcomer Ellie Goulding scoops Critics' Choice". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/newcomer-ellie-goulding-scoops-critics-choice-award-1836982.html. Retrieved 9 December 2009.  ^ "Ellie Goulding debut tops album chart". BBC News. 7 March 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8554453.stm. Retrieved 8 March 2010.  ^ "Ellie Goulding reveals debut album details – exclusive". NME. IPC Media. 6 January 2010. http://www.nme.com/news/ellie-goulding/49094. Retrieved 6 January 2010.  ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 4 March 2010". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240002&arch=t&lyr=2010&year=2010&week=9. Retrieved 5 March 2010.  ^ a b Corner, Lewis (23 April 2012). "Ellie Goulding hoping to release second album in October". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a378025/ellie-goulding-hoping-to-release-second-album-in-october.html. Retrieved 23 April 2012.  ^ Goulding, Ellie (8 September 2010). "Excited to announce that m ...". Twitter. http://twitter.com/elliegoulding/status/23930243782. Retrieved 21 January 2011.  ^ Beasley, Mark. "Our Christmas 2010 TV advert". John Lewis. John Lewis Partnership. http://www.johnlewis.com/Magazine/Feature.aspx?Id=666. Retrieved 20 November 2010.  ^ "Ellie Goulding – Your Song". Swedish Recording Industry Association. Hung Medien. http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Ellie+Goulding&titel=Your+Song&cat=s. Retrieved 4 February 2011.  ^ Youngs, Ian (7 January 2010). "BBC Sound of 2010: Ellie Goulding". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8445641.stm. Retrieved 6 March 2011.  ^ "BBC – Glastonbury Festival – Ellie Goulding". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/glastonbury/2010/artists/elliegoulding/. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ "iTunes Festival: London 2010 – EP by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/itunes-festival-london-2010/id382616884. Retrieved 22 January 2011.  ^ "Bright Lights by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/bright-lights/id404772330. Retrieved 22 January 2011.  ^ "BBC – T in the Park Festival – Ellie Goulding". BBC Music. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/tinthepark/2010/artists/ellie_goulding/. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ "Ellie Goulding at V Festival". 4Music. http://www.4music.com/artist/ellie-goulding/interview-at-v-festival-2010.html. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ Bestival – News Archived 31 January 2011 at WebCite ^ "More Ellie Goulding festival dates". Facebook. 27 May 2010. http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=398792669517. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ "Goulding records a track for the inbetweeners". E4.com. 5 October 2010. http://www.e4.com/inbetweeners/series3/music-ep1.html. Retrieved 13 July 2011.  ^ "Ellie Announces US Tour". elliegoulding.com. 3 February 2011. http://elliegoulding.com/news/ellie-announces-us-tour/. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ "First Cherrytree Blog!". Cherrytree Records. 12 January 2011. http://www.cherrytreerecords.com/profiles/blogs/first-cherrytree-blog. Retrieved 12 January 2011.  ^ "Ellie Featured In Rolling Stone Hot List". Facebook. 8 February 2011. http://www.facebook.com/notes/ellie-goulding/ellie-featured-in-rolling-stone-hot-list/10150095243549518. Retrieved 13 July 2011.  ^ "Brit Awards 2011: Winners". BBC News. 15 February 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12187205. Retrieved 7 February 2012.  ^ Seidman, Robert (25 April 2011). ""Saturday Night Live (SNL)" Closes Out Season with Tina Fey/Ellie Goulding, Ed Helms/Paul Simon and Justin Timberlake/Lady Gaga". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/04/25/saturday-night-live-snl-closes-out-season-with-tina-feyellie-goulding-ed-helmspaul-simon-and-justin-timberlakelady-gaga/90480. Retrieved 25 April 2011.  ^ Cline, Georgette. "Ellie Goulding Shines 'Lights' on 'Saturday Night Live'". Spinner. http://www.spinner.com/2011/05/08/ellie-goulding-shines-lights-on-saturday-night-live/. Retrieved 9 January 2012.  ^ "Ellie Goulding Sang At Royal Wedding". MTV UK. MTV Networks Europe. 30 April 2011. http://www.mtv.co.uk/news/ellie-goulding/268429-ellie-goulding-royal-wedding-prince-william-kate-middleton. Retrieved 9 September 2011.  ^ "Ellie Goulding Photos – BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend 2011 – Day 1". Zimbio. http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Ellie+Goulding/BBC+Radio+1+Weekend+2011+Day+1/1EdPYT80KXe. Retrieved 15 May 2011.  ^ "Biffy Clyro, Wombats, Ellie Goulding to headline Wakestock festival". NME. IPC Media. 31 January 2011. http://www.nme.com/news/biffy-clyro/54767. Retrieved 23 February 2011.  ^ "Ellie To Play V Festival". elliegoulding.com. 1 March 2011. http://elliegoulding.com/#/news/ellie-to-play-v-festival/. Retrieved 6 March 2011.  ^ "‪Ellie Goulding interview with T4‬‏". YouTube. 14 January 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTjaLYlBxOg. Retrieved 13 July 2011.  ^ Kaufman, Gil (7 August 2011). "Lollapalooza Day Two: Skylar Grey, Patrick Stump, Ellie Goulding Mix It Up". MTV Newsroom. MTV Networks. http://newsroom.mtv.com/2011/08/07/lollapalooza-skylar-grey-patrick-stump/. Retrieved 9 January 2012.  ^ "Edgy Ellie: Starry Eyed singer Goulding trades her long blonde locks for a trendy half-shaved 'do". Daily Mail. Mail Online. 12 December 2011. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2072970/Ellie-Goulding-ditches-trademark-long-blonde-locks-shaved-pink-hairdo.html. Retrieved 9 January 2012.  ^ Roberts, Steven (29 November 2011). "Ellie Goulding Brings Lights To National Christmas Tree". MTV News. MTV Networks. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675078/ellie-goulding-national-christmas-tree-lighting.jhtml. Retrieved 9 January 2012.  ^ "Ellie Goulding Performs Lights on Letterman". Cherrytree Records. 19 February 2012. http://www.cherrytreerecords.com/profiles/blogs/ellie-goulding-performs-lights-on-letterman. Retrieved 24 February 2012.  ^ Dawson, Kim (11 February 2011). "Ellie Goulding faces hell of a title fight". Daily Star. Northern & Shell Media Publications. http://www.dailystar.co.uk/playlist/view/176324/Ellie-Goulding-faces-hell-of-a-title-fight/. Retrieved 7 February 2012.  ^ Piper, Dean (7 March 2011). "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Ellie Goulding". Dean Piper's World. http://deanpiper.com/2011/03/07/exclusive-interview-ellie-goulding/. Retrieved 7 February 2012.  ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a378404/ellie-goulding-tops-one-million-single-sales-in-us.html ^ Smyth, David (15 January 2010). "Diana Vickers: proper bow". Popjustice. http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4355&Itemid=9. Retrieved 4 February 2010.  ^ "Lena Meyer-Landrut kriegt von Ellie Goulding Song geschenkt" (in German). Klatsch-Tratsch. 13 May 2010. http://www.klatsch-tratsch.de/2010/05/13/lena-meyer-landrut-kriegt-von-ellie-goulding-song-geschenkt/51893. Retrieved 21 February 2011.  ^ Copsey, Robert (11 May 2011). "Frankmusik eyes Ellie Goulding collaboration". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a318942/frankmusik-eyes-ellie-goulding-collaboration.html. Retrieved 13 July 2011.  ^ Bain, Becky (19 September 2011). "Katy Perry Replaces Jessie J. With Ellie Goulding On California Dreams Tour". Idolator. Buzz Media. http://idolator.com/6017282/katy-perry-replaces-jessie-j-with-ellie-goulding-california-dreams-tour. Retrieved 7 February 2012.  ^ Perry, Katy. "Ellie Goulding to Join the California Dreams Tour in November". Ellie Goulding to Join the California Dreams Tour in November. Capitol Records. http://www.katyperry.com/ellie-goulding-to-join-the-california-dreams-tour-in-november/. Retrieved 2012-02-23.  ^ Mika (14 December 2011). "Blog from MIKA". Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150435075513580. Retrieved 14 December 2011.  External links[link] Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ellie Goulding Official website Preceded by Little Boots Sound of... 2010 Succeeded by Jessie J v t e Ellie Goulding Discography Studio albums Lights Extended plays An Introduction to Ellie Goulding iTunes Festival: London 2010 Run Into the Light Singles "Under the Sheets" "Starry Eyed" "Guns and Horses" "The Writer" "Your Song" "Lights" Featured singles "Wonderman" Related articles Polydor Records Cherrytree Records Neon Gold Records Tinie Tempah Skrillex Persondata Name Goulding, Ellie Alternative names Goulding, Elena Jane Short description English singer-songwriter Date of birth 30 December 1986 Place of birth Hereford, Herefordshire, England Date of death Place of death .

Haruki Murakami 村上 春樹
Murakami giving a lecture at MIT in 2005
Born	(1949-01-12) January 12, 1949 (age 63) Kyoto, Japan
Occupation	Author, novelist
Nationality	Japanese
Genres	Fiction, surrealist, magical realism
Influences Raymond Chandler, Franz Kafka, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Carver, John Irving, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, J.D. Salinger, Anton Chekov, Gabriel García Márquez, Richard Brautigan, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, Truman Capote, Honoré de Balzac, William Shakespeare
Signature
www.harukimurakami.com

Haruki Murakami (村上 春樹, Murakami Haruki^?, born January 12, 1949) is a Japanese writer and translator.^[1] His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and the Jerusalem Prize, among others.

Murakami's fiction, often criticized by Japan's literary establishment, is humorous and surreal, focusing on themes of alienation and loneliness.^[2] He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature. The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his works and achievements.^[3]

Biography[link]

Murakami was born in Japan during the post–World War II baby boom.^[4] Although born in Kyoto, he spent his youth in Shukugawa (Nishinomiya), Ashiya and Kobe.^[5][6] His father was the son of a Buddhist priest,^[7] and his mother the daughter of an Osaka merchant.^[8] Both taught Japanese literature.^[9]

Since childhood, Murakami has been heavily influenced by Western culture, particularly Western music and literature. He grew up reading a wide range of works by American writers, such as Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan. These Western influences often distinguish Murakami from other Japanese writers.^[10]

Murakami studied drama at Waseda University in Tokyo, where he met his wife, Yoko. His first job was at a record store, much like Toru Watanabe, the narrator of Norwegian Wood. Shortly before finishing his studies, Murakami opened a coffeehouse and jazz bar, the Peter Cat, in Kokubunji, Tokyo, which he ran with his wife^[11] from 1974 to 1981.^[12]

Many of his novels have themes and titles that invoke classical music, such as the three books making up The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: The Thieving Magpie (after Rossini's opera), Bird as Prophet (after a piano piece by Robert Schumann usually known in English as The Prophet Bird), and The Bird-Catcher (a character in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute). Some of his novels take their titles from songs: Dance, Dance, Dance (after The Dells' song, although it is widely thought it was titled after the Beach Boys tune), Norwegian Wood (after The Beatles' song) and South of the Border, West of the Sun (after the song "South of the Border").^[13]

Murakami is a marathon runner and triathlete enthusiast, though he did not start running until he was 33 years old. On June 23, 1996, he completed his first ultramarathon, a 100-kilometer race around Lake Saroma in Hokkaido, Japan.^[14] He discusses his relationship with running in his 2008 memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.^[15]

[edit] Trilogy of the Rat

Murakami began writing fiction when he was 29.^[16] "Before that," he said, "I didn’t write anything. I was just one of those ordinary people. I was running a jazz club, and I didn’t create anything at all."^[17] He was inspired to write his first novel, Hear the Wind Sing (1979), while watching a baseball game.^[18] In 1978, Murakami was in Jingu Stadium watching a game between the Yakult Swallows and the Hiroshima Carp when Dave Hilton, an American, came to bat. According to an oft-repeated story, in the instant that Hilton hit a double, Murakami suddenly realized that he could write a novel.^[19] He went home and began writing that night. Murakami worked on Hear the Wind Sing for several months in very brief stretches after working days at the bar. He completed the novel and sent it to the only literary contest that would accept a work of that length, winning first prize.

Murakami's initial success with Hear the Wind Sing encouraged him to continue writing. A year later, he published a sequel, Pinball, 1973. In 1982, he published A Wild Sheep Chase, a critical success. Hear the Wind Sing, Pinball, 1973, and A Wild Sheep Chase form the Trilogy of the Rat (a sequel, Dance, Dance, Dance, was written later but is not considered part of the series), centered on the same unnamed narrator and his friend, "the Rat." The first two novels are unpublished in English translation outside of Japan, where an English edition, translated by Alfred Birnbaum with extensive notes, was published by Kodansha as part of a series intended for Japanese students of English. Murakami considers his first two novels to be "weak," and was not eager to have them translated into English.^[20] A Wild Sheep Chase, he says, was "the first book where I could feel a kind of sensation, the joy of telling a story. When you read a good story, you just keep reading. When I write a good story, I just keep writing."

Wider recognition[link]

At Jerusalem Prize ceremony, 2009

In 1985, Murakami wrote Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, a dream-like fantasy that took the magical elements of his work to a new extreme. Murakami achieved a major breakthrough and national recognition in 1987 with the publication of Norwegian Wood, a nostalgic story of loss and sexuality. It sold millions of copies among Japanese youths, making Murakami a literary superstar in his native country. The book was printed in two separate volumes, sold together, so that the number of books sold actually doubled, creating the million-copy bestseller hype. One book had a green cover, the other one red.^[3]

In 1986, Murakami left Japan, traveled throughout Europe, and settled in the United States. He was a writing fellow at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, and at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.^[6] During this time he wrote South of the Border, West of the Sun and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.^[6]

An established novelist[link]

In 1995, he published The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, a novel that fuses the realistic and fantastic, and contains elements of physical violence. It is also more socially conscious than his previous work, dealing in part with the difficult topic of war crimes in Manchukuo (Northeast China). The novel won the Yomiuri Prize, awarded by one of his harshest former critics, Kenzaburo Oe, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1994.^[21]

The processing of collective trauma soon became an important theme in Murakami's writing, which had previously been more personal in nature. After finishing The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Murakami returned to Japan in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake and the Aum Shinrikyo gas attack. He came to terms with these events with his first work of non-fiction, Underground, and the short story collection after the quake. Underground consists largely of interviews of victims of the gas attacks in the Tokyo subway system.

English translations of many of his short stories written between 1983 and 1990 have been collected in The Elephant Vanishes. Murakami has also translated many of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Carver, Truman Capote, John Irving, and Paul Theroux, among others, into Japanese.^[6]

Since 2000[link]

Sputnik Sweetheart was first published in 1999, followed by Kafka on the Shore in 2002, with the English translation following in 2005. Kafka on the Shore won the World Fantasy Award for Novels in 2006.^[22] The English version of his novel After Dark was released in May 2007. It was chosen by the New York Times as a "notable book of the year". In late 2005, Murakami published a collection of short stories titled Tōkyō Kitanshū, or 東京奇譚集, which translates loosely as "Mysteries of Tokyo." A collection of the English versions of twenty-four short stories, titled Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, was published in August 2006. This collection includes both older works from the 1980's as well as some of Murakami's more recent short stories, including all five that appear in Tōkyō Kitanshū.

In 2002, Murakami published the anthology Birthday Stories, which collects short stories on the theme of birthdays. The collection includes work by Russell Banks, Ethan Canin, Raymond Carver, David Foster Wallace, Denis Johnson, Claire Keegan, Andrea Lee, Daniel Lyons, Lynda Sexson, Paul Theroux, and William Trevor, as well as a story by Murakami himself. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, containing tales about his experience as a marathon runner and a triathlete, was published in Japan in 2007,^[23] with English translations released in the U.K. and the U.S. in 2008. The title is a play on that of Raymond Carver's short story collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.^[24]

Shinchosha Publishing published Murakami's novel, 1Q84, in Japan on May 29, 2009. 1Q84 is pronounced as 'ichi kyū hachi yon', the same as 1984, as 9 is also pronounced as 'kyū' in Japanese.^[25] The book was longlisted for Man Asian Literary Prize 2011.

Recognition[link]

In 2006, Murakami became the sixth recipient of the Franz Kafka Prize from the Czech Republic for his novel Umibe no Kafuka (Kafka on the Shore).^[26]

In September 2007, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Liège,^[27] as well as one from Princeton University in June 2008.^[28]

Murakami was awarded the 2007 Kiriyama Prize for Fiction for his collection of short stories Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, but according to the Kiriyama Official Website, Murakami "declined to accept the award for reasons of personal principle".^[29]

In January 2009 Murakami received the Jerusalem Prize, a biennial literary award given to writers whose work deals with themes of human freedom, society, politics, and government. There were protests in Japan and elsewhere against his attending the February award ceremony in Israel, including threats to boycott his work as a response against Israel's recent bombing of Gaza. Murakami chose to attend the ceremony, but gave a speech to the gathered Israeli dignitaries harshly criticizing Israeli policies.^[30] Murakami said, "Each of us possesses a tangible living soul. The system has no such thing. We must not allow the system to exploit us."^[31]

In 2011, Murakami donated his €80,000 winnings from the International Catalunya prize to the victims of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami, and to those affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Accepting the award, he said in his speech that the situation at the Fukushima plant was "the second major nuclear disaster that the Japanese people have experienced... however, this time it was not a bomb being dropped upon us, but a mistake committed by our very own hands." According to Murakami, the Japanese people should have rejected nuclear power after having "learned through the sacrifice of the hibakusha just how badly radiation leaves scars on the world and human wellbeing".^[32]

Films and other adaptations[link]

Murakami's first novel Hear the Wind Sing (Kaze no uta o kike) was adapted by Japanese director Kazuki Ōmori. The film was released in 1981 and distributed by Art Theatre Guild.^[33] Naoto Yamakawa directed two short films Attack on the Bakery (released in 1982) and A Girl, She is 100 Percent (released in 1983), based on Murakami's short stories "The Second Bakery Attack" and "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning" respectively.^[34] Japanese director Jun Ichikawa adapted Murakami's short story "Tony Takitani" into a 75-minute feature.^[35] The film played at various film festivals and was released in New York and Los Angeles on July 29, 2005. The original short story, translated into English by Jay Rubin, is available in the April 15, 2002 issue of The New Yorker, as a stand-alone book published by Cloverfield Press, and part of Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Knopf. In 1998, the German film Der Eisbaer (Polar Bear), written and directed by Granz Henman, used elements of Murakami's short story "The Second Bakery Attack" in three intersecting story lines.

Murakami's work was also adapted for the stage in a 2003 play entitled The Elephant Vanishes, co-produced by Britain's Complicite company and Japan's Setagaya Public Theatre. The production, directed by Simon McBurney, adapted three of Murakami's short stories and received acclaim for its unique blending of multimedia (video, music, and innovative sound design) with actor-driven physical theater (mime, dance, and even acrobatic wire work).^[36] On tour, the play was performed in Japanese, with supertitle translations for European and American audiences.

Two stories from Murakami's book after the quake—"Honey Pie" and "Superfrog Saves Tokyo"—have been adapted for the stage and directed by Frank Galati. Entitled after the quake, the play was first performed at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in association with La Jolla Playhouse, and opened on October 12, 2007 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.^[37] In 2008, Galati also adapted and directed a theatrical version of Kafka on the Shore, which first ran at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater from September to November.^[38]

On Max Richter's 2006 album Songs from Before, Robert Wyatt reads passages from Murakami's novels. In 2007, Robert Logevall adapted "All God's Children Can Dance" into a film, with a soundtrack composed by American jam band Sound Tribe Sector 9. In 2008, Tom Flint adapted "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning" into a short film. The film was screened at the 2008 CON-CAN Movie Festival. The film was viewed, voted, and commented upon as part of the audience award for the movie festival.^[39]

It was announced in July 2008 that French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung would direct an adaptation of Murakami's novel, Norwegian Wood.^[40] The film was released in Japan on December 11, 2010.^[41]

In 2010, Stephen Earnhart adapted The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle into a 2 hour multimedia stage presentation. The show opened January 12, 2010 as part of the Public Theater's "Under the Radar" festival at the Ohio Theater, presented in association with The Asia Society and the Baryshnikov Arts Center. The show had its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival on August 21, 2011.^[42] The presentation incorporates live actors, video projection, traditional Japanese puppetry, and immersive soundscapes to render the surreal landscape of the original work.

Each short story in Murakami's after the quake collection was adapted into a six-song EP entitled .DC: JPN (after the quake 2011) in March 2011 following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami to help benefit the relief efforts by musician Dre Carlan.^[43]

Bibliography[link]

Novels[link]

Short stories[link]

Essays and nonfiction[link]

Translations[link]

• C. D. B. Bryan – The Great Dethriffe
• Truman Capote – A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, Breakfast at Tiffany's, I Remember Grandpa, Children on Their Birthdays
• Raymond Carver – All Works of Raymond Carver
• Raymond Chandler – Farewell, My Lovely, The Long Goodbye,The Little Sister
• Bill Crow – Jazz Anecdotes, From Birdland to Broadway
• Terry Farish – The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup
• F. Scott Fitzgerald – My Lost City, The Great Gatsby
• Jim Fusilli – The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
• Mikal Gilmore – Shot in the Heart
• Mark Helprin – Swan Lake
• John Irving – Setting Free the Bears
• Ursula K. Le Guin – Catwings, Catwings Return, Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings, Jane on her Own
• Tim O'Brien – The Nuclear Age, The Things They Carried, July, July
• Grace Paley – Enormous Changes at the Last Minute, The Little Disturbances of Man
• J. D. Salinger – The Catcher in the Rye
• Shel Silverstein – The Giving Tree
• Mark Strand – Mr. and Mrs. Baby and Other Stories
• Paul Theroux – World's End and Other Stories
• Chris Van Allsburg – The Polar Express, The Wretched Stone, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, Ben's Dream, Two Bad Ants, The Sweetest Fig, The Widow's Broom, The Stranger, The Wreck of the Zephyr, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

Translators of Murakami's works[link]

Murakami's works have been translated into many languages. Below is a list of translators according to language (by alphabetical order):

• Albanian – Etta Klosi
• Arabic – Saeed Alganmi, Iman Harrz Allah
• Armenian – Alexander Aghabekyan
• Basque – Ibon Uribarri
• Brazilian Portuguese – Ana Luiza Dantas Borges
• Bulgarian – Ljudmil Ljutskanov
• Catalan – Albert Nolla, Concepció Iribarren, Imma Estany, Jordi Mas
• Chinese – 賴明珠/Lai Ming-zhu (Taiwan), 林少华/Lin Shao-hua (Chinese Mainland), 葉惠/Ye Hui (Hong Kong)
• Croatian – Maja Šoljan, Vojo Šindolić, Mate Maras, Maja Tančik, Dinko Telećan
• Czech – Tomáš Jurkovič
• Danish – Mette Holm
• Dutch – Elbrich Fennema, Jacques Westerhoven, L. van Haute
• English – Alfred Birnbaum, Jay Rubin, Philip Gabriel, Hideo Levy (USA), Theodore W. Goossen (Canada)
• Estonian – Kati Lindström, Kristina Uluots
• Faroese – Pauli Nielsen
• Finnish – Leena Tamminen, Ilkka Malinen, Juhani Lindholm
• French – Corinne Atlan, Hélène Morita, Patrick De Vos, Véronique Brindeau, Karine Chesneau
• Galician – Mona Imai, Gabriel Álvarez Martínez
• Georgian – Irakli Beriashvili
• German – Ursula Gräfe, Nora Bierich, Sabine Mangold, Jürgen Stalph, Annelie Ortmanns
• Greek – Maria Aggelidou, Thanasis Douvris, Leonidas Karatzas, Juri Kovalenko, Stelios Papazafeiropoulos, Giorgos Voudiklaris
• Hebrew – Einat Cooper, Dr. Michal Daliot-Bul, Yonatan Friedman
• Hungarian – Erdős György, Horváth Kriszta, Komáromy Rudolf, Nagy Mónika, Nagy Anita
• Icelandic – Uggi Jónsson
• Indonesian – Jonjon Johana
• Italian – Giorgio Amitrano, Antonietta Pastore, Mimma De Petra
• Korean – Kim Choon-Mie, Kim Nanjoo
• Latvian – Ingūna Beķere
• Lithuanian – Milda Dyke, Irena Jomantienė, Jūratė Nauronaitė, Marius Daškus, Dalia Saukaitytė, Ieva Stasiūnaitė, Ieva Susnytė
• Norwegian – Ika Kaminka, Kari and Kjell Risvik
• Persian – Gita Garakani, Mehdi Ghabraee, Bozorgmehr Sharafoddin
• Polish – Anna Zielińska-Elliott
• Portuguese – Maria João Lourenço, Leiko Gotoda
• Romanian – Angela Hondru, Silvia Cercheaza, Andreea Sion, Iuliana Tomescu
• Russian – Dmitry V. Kovalenin, Ivan Sergeevich Logatchev, Sergey Ivanovich Logatchev, Anatoly Lyan
• Serbian – Nataša Tomić, Divna Tomić
• Slovak – Lucia Kružlíková
• Slovene – Nika Cejan, Aleksander Mermal
• Spanish – Lourdes Porta, Junichi Matsuura, Fernando Rodríguez-Izquierdo, Francisco Barberán
• Swedish – Yukiko Duke, Eiko Duke, Vibeke Emond
• Thai – Noppadol Vatsawat, Komsan Nantachit, Tomorn Sukprecha
• Turkish – Pınar Polat, Nihal Önol, Hüseyin Can Erkin
• Ukrainian – Ivan Dziub, Oleksandr Bibko
• Vietnamese – Trinh Lu, Tran Tien Cao Dang, Duong Tuong, Cao Viet Dung, Pham Xuan Nguyen

See also[link]

	Novels portal
	Japan portal

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Pintor, Ivan. "David Lynch y Haruki Murakami, la llama en el umbral," in: VV.AA., Universo Lynch. Internacional Sitges Film Festival-Calamar, 2007 (ISBN 84-96235-16-5)
• Rubin, Jay. Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words. Harvill Press, 2002 (ISBN 1-86046-952-3)
• Strecher, Matthew Carl. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Readers Guide. Continuum Pub Group, 2002 (ISBN 0-8264-5239-6)
• Strecher, Matthew Carl. Dances with Sheep: The Quest for Identity in the Fiction of Murakami Haruki. University of Michigan/Monographs in Japanese Studies, 2001. (ISBN 1-929280-07-6)
• Suter, Rebecca. The Japanization of Modernity: Murakami Haruki Between Japan and the United States. Harvard University Asian Center, 2008. (ISBN 978-0-674-02833-3)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Murakami Haruki

• Haruki Murakami Official Website
• Exorcising Ghosts - Haruki Murakami Resources
• The New Yorker fiction by Haruki Murakami
• Featured author in The New York Times
• Haruki Murakami at the Internet Book List
• "The reception of Murakami Haruki in Taiwan", Yale University
• Hegarty, Stephanie. "Haruki Murakami: How a Japanese writer conquered the world". BBC News, 17 October 2011.