Alison Spedding
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dr. Alison Louise Spedding (22 January 1962-) is a British anthropologist and fantasy author.
Spedding studied Archaeology and Anthropology and later Philosophy at King's College, Cambridge, receiving her BA degree in 1982. She received a PhD from the London School of Economics in 1989. She wrote a trilogy of fantasy novels, set approximately in the time of Alexander the Great. In the novels Alexander dies, and the female protagonist, Aleizon Ailix Ayndra, goes on to fulfil Alexander's destiny.
The novel trilogy is collectively referred to as A Walk in the Dark. It comprises:
- The Road and the Hills (1986)
- A Cloud over Water (1988)
- The Streets of the City (1988)
In 1989 Spedding moved to Bolivia and lectured at San Andres University in La Paz. While there she published the academic work Wachu Wachu. Cultivo de coca e identitad en los Yungas de la Paz (1994) and Manuel y Fortunato (1997). She became an outspoken critic of the government's policy of cracking down on peasant coca farmers. In 1998 she was arrested on drug charges, having been found with 2 kg of cannabis in her possession. Although she claimed the cannabis was for personal use, she received a 10 year sentence for trafficking. Academics widely considered the arrest was politically motivated and campaigned for her release. She was released in 2000 on payment of a surety.
