He claimed that one psychologist's report at the time labelled him a psychopath. Gemmell was expelled from school at the age of 16, for organizing a gambling syndicate, and as a youth was arrested several times. As a teenager, he wanted to stand with Marshal Will Kane in the film High Noon. As a child, he said he 'would have given anything' to stand beside King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. Preferring reading books to fighting, he was compelled to take up boxing by his stepfather, who insisted he learn how to stand up for himself without 'hiding behind walls or running away' this philosophy informed much of Gemmell's later writing. Raised alone by his mother until the age of 6, he experienced a harsh upbringing in a tough urban area, suffering bullying and taunts from his peers, partly due to the absence of his father, and often sustained serious injuries through fighting. Most of the blows came from other children, but sometimes adults too would weigh in.ĭavid Gemmell was born in 1948 in west London. the word was less hurtful than the blows that would follow it.

This boy's mother was-the boy heard so many times-a whore. This boy's lack was the subject of sly whispers from the adults, and open jeering from his peers. A steering group of 18 authors was chaired by writer Stan Nicholls and the award was decided by a public vote.Įarly life Some of the other children had no father, but their lack was honorable. The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy were awarded from 2009 to 2018, with a stated goal to 'restore fantasy to its proper place in the literary pantheon'. With over one million copies sold, his work continues to sell worldwide. There is always a strong heroic theme but nearly always the heroes are flawed in some way. Gemmell's works display violence, yet also explore themes of honour, loyalty and redemption. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Gemmell had his first work of fiction published in 1984. David Andrew Gemmell ( / ˈ ɡ ɛ m əl/ 1 August 1948 – 28 July 2006) was a British author of heroic fantasy, best known for his debut novel, Legend.

Legenda david gemmell