Michel Faber - Nationality

Nationality

In Scotland, Faber is considered a Scottish author, or at least "Scottish by formation" (the term defining eligibility to enter the Macallan Short Story Competition, which Faber won in 1996). The fact that most of Faber's literary prizes, like The Neil Gunn Prize, The Macallan Prize and The Saltire First Book of the Year Award, were won in Scotland, that Faber lives in Scotland, and that his works are published by a Scotland-based publisher, all lend credibility to this view. In Australia, Faber is considered an Australian, because of his long residence there, because almost all of his schooling was completed there, and because some of his short stories are set in Australia. In the Netherlands, he is considered Dutch, except by those who are unaware of his origins. (Faber's works are translated into Dutch by professional translators, not by Faber himself.)

In 2001, when the publication of The Crimson Petal and the White was imminent, Canongate urged Faber to become a UK citizen so that the book could be submitted for the Booker Prize, which was at that time open only to authors holding Commonwealth passports. Faber declined, as he did not wish to become British at a time when the British government was preparing to follow the United States into war on Afghanistan and Iraq. Faber's citizenship remains Dutch. He identifies himself as no particular nationality, and the themes, scope and style of his literary work are not characteristically British, Australian or Dutch, but broadly European.