10 Facts About Caryl Phillips

Caryl Phillips was born on 13 March 1958 and is a Kittitian-British novelist, playwright and essayist.

Best known for his novels, Phillips is often described as a Black Atlantic writer, since much of his fictional output is defined by its interest in, and searching exploration of, the experiences of peoples of the African diaspora in England, the Caribbean and the United States.

Caryl Phillips was born in St Kitts to Malcolm and Lillian Phillips on 13 March 1958.

In 1976, Caryl Phillips won a place at Queen's College, Oxford University, where he read English, graduating in 1979.

At that time, Caryl Phillips was a member of the Black Bristol Writers Group, which helped to foster his creative writing.

In 1990, Caryl Phillips took up a Visiting Writer post at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Caryl Phillips remained at Amherst College for a further eight years, becoming the youngest English tenured professor in the US when he was promoted to that position in 1995.

Caryl Phillips was made an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2000, and an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2011.

Caryl Phillips is the patron of the David Oluwale Memorial Association, which works to promote the memory of the death of David Oluwale, a Nigerian man in Leeds who was persecuted to death by the police.

On 25 April 2022 Caryl Phillips unveiled a Leeds Civic Trust blue plaque commemorating Oluwale's death, which was torn down hours later.