Birmingham and the West Midlands has a proud creative and artistic history.
From famous bands such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, and actors such as David Harewood, the region has produed an array of talented creatives who have gone on to produce some of our favourite albums and television shows.
But the region is also home to a number of incredible writers - with the likes of William Shakespeare being a Brummie neighbour up the road in Stratford-upon-Avon. And Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight turning his Brummie family inspiration into an international phenomenon putting the city on the map. He’s about to pen the latest Star Wars movie too.
The region’s literary heritage also includes the world famous Lord of the Rings series which was partly inspired by Birmingham and areas such as Moseley, with JRR Tolkien growing up in Kings Heath.
But which other famous writers are from the area and which local schools did they attend? Take a look below to find out.
5. Jonathan Coe
Born in Bromsgrove, near the Lickey Hills, novelist Jonathan Coe attended King Edward’s School before going to Cambridge University. His best known books include What a Carve Up and The Rotters’ Club. The latter is set in 1970s Birmingham and was inspired by his school days in Brum. | AFP via Getty Images
6. Malala Yousafzai: Edgbaston High School
Malala Yousazai is an activist for female education, and the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Yousafzai’s memoir I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, was published in October 2013. Having adopted Birmingham as her second home, she chose to complete her secondary school education, at Edgbaston Photo: Presidencia de la República Mexicana via Wikimedia Commons
7. Bill Oddie: King Edward’s School, Edgbaston & Halesowen Grammar School
Bill Oddie an English writer, comedian, songwriter, musician, artist and birder. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies and he also wrote scripts for and appeared briefly in TV’s That Was the Week That Was He was born in Rochdale but grew up in Quinton. | Getty Images
8. Kit de Waal: Waverley Grammar School, Small Heath
Kit De Waal’s debut novel My Name is Leon was published in 2016 and has since become a BBC film. She grew up in Moseley and is a national of Britain and Ireland and was brought up among the Irish community, recalling: “We were the only black children at the Irish Community Centre and the only ones with a white mother at the West Indian Social Club.” Photo: Cameron Smith