Alba Arikha is an author of fiction and non-fiction and has published five books. She grew up in Paris and completed her MFA at Columbia University before moving to London in the 1990s. Her memoir, Major/Minor (Quartet Books) about her Parisian adolescence, was shortlisted for the 2012 Spear’s awards. Her novel Where to Find Me (Alma Books) was published in 2018 and long-listed for the 2020 Wingate Prize. She has written librettos for two operas, in collaboration with her husband, composer Tom Smail, based on her books: Soon, a narrative poem (CB Editions) which was performed at the Riverside Studios in 2013, and Blue Electric, an adaptation of Major/Minor. The initial production was first staged at RADA, and directed by Academy Awards Hugh Hudson, of Chariots of Fire fame. The final performance was directed by Orpha Phelan in 2020 at the Playground Theatre, in London.
She is also a pianist and singer-songwriter, has played in London and Paris and recorded two albums.
Alba divides her time between London and Greece, where she is renovating a house. Her new novel, Two Hours, will be published by Eris Books in 2024.
