Jeanette Winterson is a British novelist, playwright, and journalist. She is best known for her groundbreaking novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, which won the Whitbread Prize for a First Novel in 1985. Winterson has written numerous other novels, plays, and essays, and is a prominent figure in the LGBTQ+ community. Winterson was born in Manchester, England in 1959. She was adopted by Pentecostal parents and raised in a strict religious environment. She was expelled from school at the age of 16 and moved to London to pursue her writing career. Winterson's writing is often described as lyrical and poetic, and her works often explore themes of gender, sexuality, and religion. Her novels often feature strong female protagonists and explore the complexities of human relationships. Winterson has also written extensively about her own life, including her struggles with her sexuality and her relationship with her adoptive parents. Winterson has won numerous awards for her writing, including the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the E. M. Forster Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Winterson continues to write and speak about LGBTQ+ rights and is an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.