British · b. 1986
Gabriel Krauze wrote his way out of the London gang life he grew up in. His debut novel "Who They Was"—shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize—used fragmented prose and street vernacular to depict the violence and loyalty of estate life while pursuing a university degree in secret. Krauze's unflinching account refuses both glamorization and condemnation, rendering a world usually seen through crime statistics in fully human terms.