Kate Atkinson, the unclassifiable bestseller: From crime fiction to the magical world of Yorkshire
The acclaimed British author, who has sold millions of books worldwide, reflects on her career and the value of giving fiction distance from contemporary issues to ensure it stands the test of time
Kate Atkinson, 73, winces in protest every time someone defines her literature as magical realism. But, the surreal world of Yorkshire in which her novels and stories unfold — where a girl dies and resurrects repeatedly in her quest to find meaning in life, or where dogs and horses converse with humans — bears a strong resemblance to the world of Gabriel García Márquez’s Macondo.
