Joss Sheldon (born 7 April 1982, Barnet, UK) is an author who has released six novels: Other Worlds Were Possible (2023), Individutopia (2018), Money Power Love (2017), The Little Voice (2016), Occupied (2015) and Involution & Evolution (2014). He's published two works of non-fiction: FREEDOM: The Case For Open Borders (2024) and DEMOCRACY: A User's Guide (2020).
Joss Sheldon | |
|---|---|
 Joss Sheldon | |
| Born | 7 April 1982 |
| Occupation | Author |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics, University of Liverpool |
| Genres | Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Epic Poetry, Political Fiction, Psychological Realism |
| Subjects | Activism, Psychology, Politics, Social Issues, Occupation, Palestine, Kurdistan, Tibet, Peace, War |
| Years active | 2014- |
| Notable works | The Little Voice Occupied Involution & Evolution |
| Website | |
| Joss Sheldon's Official Website | |
Early life
editSheldon studied at the London School of Economics and the University of Liverpool. He worked for Burnley Football Club and Northampton Town Football Club,[1][2] before becoming an author.
Involution & Evolution
editInvolution & Evolution (2014) is an epic poem with an anti-war theme. The main protagonist, a conscientious objector during WW1, is based on Jesus and Buddha.
Occupied
editOccupied (2015) is a work of magical realism, inspired by the occupations of Palestine, Kurdistan and Tibet.[3]
Sheldon told AXS that Occupied was based on the principle of divide and rule:
I believe that deep down we're all the same; we all share a common humanity; we all have hopes and dreams, strengths and weaknesses, fears and doubts. That's a truly beautiful thing. But all too often we focus on the small differences which divide us. And that, for me, is a tragedy. It's the greatest tragedy of all.[4]
Free Tibet named Occupied as one of three books to read in 2016.[5] The Daily Herald called it "A chilling critique of modern society".[6] The Middle East Monitor said it had a "Simple, but strong political message".[7]
The Little Voice
editThe Little Voice (2016) is a work of psychological realism inspired by Sheldon's own life.[8]
Steve Topple of The Canary called it "Top notch" and "Radical": "The Little Voice is radical, to say the least. But Sheldon's style is warm, almost whimsical at times, and this means that even the most politically uninitiated reader will understand what he's trying to say".[9]
Money Power Love
editMoney Power Love (2017) is a work of historical fiction which follows the lives of three men who are united by nature but divided by their different upbringings.
Individutopia
editIndividutopia is a work of political dystopian fiction set in a time when corporations rule the roost. A small oligarch class own absolutely everything, inequality is extreme, and people have to pay to walk down the street or breathe the air. The Dallas Sun called it a "Modern classic",[10] The Bay Net called it a "Must read",[11] and The Canary called it "Gloriously colourful".[12]
Other work
editSheldon has published a number of poems, which he has performed for Stop The Arms Fair.[13]
Bibliography
edit- Involution & Evolution. 2014. ISBN 978-1500854706
- Occupied. 2015. ISBN 978-1516821808
- The Little Voice. 2016. ISBN 978-1539908555
- Money Power Love. 2017. ISBN 978-1539908555
- Individutopia. 2018. ISBN 978-1976365119
- DEMOCRACY: A User's Guide. 2020. ISBN 978-1716792069
- Other Worlds Were Possible. 2023. ISBN 978-3347753686
- FREEDOM: The Case For Open Borders. 2024. ISBN 979-8869084538
References
edit- ^ "Welcome to the family". Northampton Town Football Club - Official Website. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ "SPECIAL GUEST TO ATTEND OPEN FORUM". www.ntfc.co.uk. Northampton Town Football Club - Official Site. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "JOSS SHELDON TALKS ABOUT HIS LATEST NOVEL, 'OCCUPIED'". Pak Asia Times. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016 – via http://www.pakasiatimes.com.
{{cite news}}: External link in|via= - ^ Stable, Ryan (3 March 2016). "The rebel author Joss Sheldon talks about his latest novel 'Occupied'". AXS. Retrieved 7 March 2016 – via http://www.axs.com/.
{{cite news}}: External link in|via= - ^ "Blog: Your New Year Tibet reading list". Free Tibet. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016 – via http://freetibet.org.
{{cite news}}: External link in|via= - ^ "Joss Sheldon talks about his genre-busting novel, 'Occupied'". Daily Herald. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016 – via www.dailyherald.com.
- ^ Alghoul, Diana (11 December 2016). "Occupied". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "Operant Conditioning — Be the person the establishment wants you to be". Medium. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ Topple, Steve (24 November 2016). "A new, off-the-wall book puts the education system starkly under the spotlight". The Canary. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ "BOOK REVIEW: "Individutopia", a Modern Classic in the Making". Dallas Sun. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ Osm, Anmol. "JOSS SHELDON SPEAKS EXCLUSIVELY TO THE BAY NET". The Bay Net.
- ^ "A new book takes Thatcher's legacy to its terrifying conclusion: 'Individutopia' | The Canary". The Canary. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Open mic night with Joss Sheldon". Stop The Arms Fair. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
Interviews
edit- 2019 Interview with Joss Sheldon at Cyberpunks.com