Career
In particular she championed transgressive fiction, for which she received some criticism in the press, not least for her defence of A. M. Homes" The End of Alice, which dealt with themes of paedophilia from what was seen as an uncomfortably neutral perspective. The enduring fascination with the Beats was to stay with her. Before becoming a literary critic she worked in Compendium Books 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. She also promoted the early talents of Poppy Z. Brite.
In 1992, she and Graham Cavaney published Shopping in Space: Essays on American "Blank Generation" Fiction (Serpent"s Tail), which dealt extensively with the United States literary underground, from Joel Rose to grindhouse movies. In terms of United Kingdom writers, she acted as an enthusiastic supporter of the talents of Stewart Home, Alasdair Gray, Alan Warner and Irvine Welsh.
