Page "Elizabeth Young (journalist)" Paragraph 1

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, she received a Calvinist education in her parents ' native Scotland, before discovering at the age of 11 the works of Nelson Algren, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.

The enduring fascination with the Beats was to stay with her.

Before becoming a literary critic she worked in the Compendium Bookstore in Camden Town and was noted for her Goth appearance.

In addition to literary criticism, Young's attraction to the counterculture saw her pen articles on drugs, music and pornography.

She also appeared as Ray Gange's girlfriend in Rude Boy, the 1980 film about a roadie for The Clash.