Charlie Connelly
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| Charlie Connelly | |
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| Born | August 22, 1970  England London, England |
| Occupation | Author and broadcaster |
| Nationality | English |
| Writing period | 1998–present |
| Genres | Travel, sports |
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Influences
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Charlie Connelly (born 22 August 1970, London, England) is a British author and broadcaster from England. Connelly is most notable as being a travel writer, beginning his career as a writer with books relating to sporting events, most commonly football. His breakthrough 2002 book, Stamping Grounds, was his fifth and was also in this vein, following the qualifying campaign of the Liechtenstein national football team in their unsuccessful 2002 Football World Cup qualifying attempt. Connelly's 2004 followup Attention All Shipping, was his first to deviate from football as its topic, and has been listed as a bestseller and selected as "Book Of The Week" by UK radio station BBC Radio 4, which is featured throughout the book. In 2007, Connelly released his seventh book, and third to garner critical acclaim In Search of Elvis, which again focuses on travel and the impression left by entertainer Elvis Presley. Connelly is currently writing his eighth book, set for release in late 2008.
In addition to being a travel writer, Connelly also presents on radio and television shows.[1]
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[edit] Overview
Connelly's writing exhibits a self-deprecating humour and love of eccentricity that echoes the pioneering style of Bill Bryson. Similarly, he shares with these other named writers a fascination with subject-matter that had previously escaped the attentions of the traditional travel writing fraternity. Rather than travelling round Ireland with a fridge (Hawks) or pedaling the route of the Tour de France (Moore), Connelly's early work focused on football, from Hackney Marshes to Sarajevo and most points in between. Stamping Grounds was Connelly's breakthrough. He follows the hapless Liechtenstein national football team through a disastrous if wholly predictable World Cup qualifying campaign. They lose all eight matches without scoring a single goal, but Connelly shows that it is the taking part that counts. Along the way, he comes to understand the nature of an entire country, not least when he meets a man who married an eagle.
The bestselling Attention All Shipping (2004) was the first book not to take football as its central subject: again seeking out unusual destinations, he travels to each area of the shipping forecast made famous on BBC Radio 4. The radio station returned the favour, making Attention All Shipping their "Book of the Week" and propelling the book to the top of the sales charts. In Search of Elvis, was published in the UK in January 2007. In it, Connelly travels the globe examining the legacy of Elvis Presley, a journey that takes him to such seemingly unlikely places as Uzbekistan, Finland, and Israel, as well as Memphis, Tupelo, and Las Vegas. The associated audiobook was narrated by the actor Julian Rhind-Tutt. His work has also appeared in the Daily Telegraph, the Times, the Scotsman, the Herald, and he is a presenter on the BBC 1 Holiday programme and has lectured at the Royal Geographical Society. He co-presents the BBC Radio 4 series Traveller's Tree with Fi Glover. A former professional musician, Connelly plays the ukulele and lives in London.
Connelly is currently working on a book project recreating great journeys from history, on foot.
[edit] Bibliography
- 1998 - I Just Can't Help Believing: The Relegation Experience[2]
- 1999 - London Fields: A Journey Through Football's Metroland
- 2000 - Spirit High and Passion Pure: A Journey Through European Football
- 2001 - Many Miles... a Season in the Life of Charlton Athletic
- 2002 - Stamping Grounds: Liechtenstein's Quest for the World Cup
- 2004 - Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast
- 2007 - In Search of Elvis: A Journey to Find the Man Beneath the Jumpsuit
[edit] References
- ^ Williams, James Innes (2007-02-14). The Charlie Connelly Interview. stanfords.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
- ^ In Search of Elvis. Books. charlieconnelly.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
[edit] External links
- Charlie Connelly.com - Official website
- Biography page on agent's website
- Essex Book Festival Interview
