Sathnam Sanghera

Sathnam Sanghera FRSL
Sanghera in 2021
Born	1976 (age 48–49) Wolverhampton, England
Education	Wolverhampton Grammar School
Alma mater	Christ's College, Cambridge
Occupation(s)	Journalist and author
Employer(s)	The Times Express and Star
Notable work	The Boy with the Topknot (2009)
Website	www.sathnam.com

Sathnam Sanghera FRSL (born 1976) is a British journalist and best-selling author.[1]

Early life and education

Sathnam Sanghera was born to Indian Punjabi parents in Wolverhampton in 1976.[2][3] His parents had emigrated from India to the UK in 1968.[4][5] He was raised a Sikh.[5] He attended Wolverhampton Grammar School, an independent school where he had gained a place after passing the 11+ examination and was funded by the government's Assisted Places Scheme. He graduated from Christ's College, Cambridge, with a first-class degree in English Language and Literature in 1998.[3]

Career

Before becoming a writer, Sanghera worked at a burger chain, a hospital laundry, a market research firm, a sewing factory and a literacy project in New York.[3] As a student, he worked at the Express and Star in Wolverhampton and dressed up as a "news bunny" for L!VE TV.[6] Between 1998 and 2006, he was a reporter and feature writer for the Financial Times.[3]

Sanghera joined The Times as a columnist and feature writer in 2007.[3] He also writes the motoring column for Management Today magazine.[3] His memoir, The Boy with the Topknot (2009), was adapted for BBC Two in 2017.[2] His novel Marriage Material, originally published in 2013, was inspired in part by Arnold Bennett's The Old Wives' Tale.[7]

In 2016, Sanghera was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL).[8][9]

In November 2021, his Channel 4 documentary series about race, Empire State of Mind, received a four-star review in The Guardian from Chitra Ramaswamy.[10]

Personal life

Sanghera lives in North London.[3][11]

Publications

• The Boy with the Topknot: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton.[11] Published by Penguin, 2008, ISBN 978-0-14-102859-0.
• Marriage Material. Published by Europa Editions, 2016, ISBN 978-1-60945-317-6.
• Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain. Published by Viking, 2021, ISBN 978-0-241-44529-7.
• Stolen History: the Truth About the British Empire and How It Shaped Us. Published by Penguin, 2023, ISBN 978-0-241-62343-5.[12]
• Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe. Published by Penguin, 2024, ISBN 978-0-241-60041-2.[13]

Awards

• Young Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards, 2002.[3]
• Article of the Year in the 2005 Management Today Writing Awards.[3]
• Newspaper Feature of the Year, Workworld Media Awards.[3]
• Journalist of the Year, Watson Wyatt Awards, 2006 and 2009.[3]
• Shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award, 2009
• Shortlisted for the PEN/Ackerley Prize, 2009.[3]
• Winner, Mind Book of the Year, 2009.[14]
• Honorary Doctor of Letters for services to journalism, University of Wolverhampton, September 2009.[3]
• President's Medal, Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2010.[3]
• Costa Book Awards (First Novel) shortlisted for Marriage Material[15]

See also

• List of British Sikhs
• David Olusoga

References

1. "Home". Sathnam Sanghera. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
2. Saner, Emine (5 November 2017). "Sathnam Sanghera on The Boy with the Topknot: 'Mum cried while she told our story. I cried as I wrote it'". The Observer. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
3. "Biog". Sathnam Sanghera. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
4. Perkins, Roger (9 March 2008). "Loves, secrets and lies in Wolverhampton". The Telegraph.
5. Batt, David (5 March 2008). "Sathnam Sanghera: interview". Time Out.
6. "Les asiatiques dans les médias | Mag, news, actu, jeux, let's play en folie avec notre amie l'asiatique !".
7. "Sathnam Sanghera website".
8. Onwuemezi, Natasha, "Rankin, McDermid and Levy named new RSL fellows", The Bookseller, 7 June 2017.
9. "Sathnam Sanghera", The Royal Society of Literature.
10. Ramaswamy, Chitra (20 November 2021). "Empire State of Mind review – 'Within moments, I am crying on to my laptop'". The Guardian.
11. O'Hara, Mary (19 August 2009). "Interview| Home truths". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
12. Sanghera, Sathnam. Stolen History.
13. Sanghera, Sathnam (25 January 2024). Empireworld.
14. Sundari, "Sikh Author Wins Mind Book of the Year Award", The Langar Hall, 26 May 2009.
15. Brown, Mark (26 November 2013). "Costa book awards 2013: late author on all-female fiction shortlist". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2013.

External links

• Official website