Jackie Kay

David Ian Paddy (Whittier College)
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The story of Jackie Kay’s life is as fascinating and complex as her literary works. The comparison is significant because several of Kay’s pieces spring from her biography and they are all concerned with the intricate nature of identity. Kay’s father was a black Nigerian visiting Edinburgh when he met Kay’s white Scottish mother. After he returned to Nigeria, the mother discovered she was pregnant and decided to give up the child. Kay was then adopted by a white Glaswegian couple with a strong commitment to radical politics. As Kay grew up she also began to identify herself as lesbian. Graduating with a degree in English from the University of Stirling in 1983, she became Writer-in-residence at Hammersmith, London from 1989 through 1991. In 1988 she gave birth to her son Matthew.…

3041 words

Citation: Paddy, David Ian. "Jackie Kay". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 December 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5158, accessed 28 March 2024.]

5158 Jackie Kay 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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