A pair of press releases from the Portsmouth City Council and Portsmouth Guildhall:

World famous author and former Portsmouth resident Neil Gaiman will be celebrated in a road naming ceremony when he makes his homecoming visit on Sunday 18 August.

The lane, west of Canoe Lake, will be called ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’, the title of his most recent novel. A multi-award-winning author, his work includes the Sandman graphic novels, Coraline, Stardust, American Gods and two Doctor Who episodes.

Neil Gaiman returns to Portsmouth from the end of his US tour, and will be giving a talk and book signing at Portsmouth Guildhall on 18 August from 7pm.

Neil, who now lives in the US, was born in White Hart Lane, Portchester and grew up in Purbook and then Southsea.

When asked how he felt about the news Gaiman said: “Gobsmacked, befuddled, delighted and baffled. When you make things up, you never expect them to creep out into the real world.

“I lived in Portchester and Southsea until I was five. But my grandparents and much of my family were in Southsea, so I was back every school holiday and stayed as long as I could. I was even Barmitzvahed in the Portsmouth Synagogue.”

Cllr Lee Hunt, cabinet member for culture said: “We’re delighted Neil Gaiman is coming to Portsmouth off the back of his US tour.

“Neil’s connection to the city strengthens our aspirations to promote Portsmouth as the home of great writing.

“A road so close to the seafront named ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ seems fitting. It’s something different and creates a talking point.

“We want to encourage a love of literacy among our young residents and with Neil’s global following hopefully this new name will put Portsmouth on the book lover’s map.”

An Evening with Neil Gaiman, Sunday 18 August 2013, 7.30pm, £6

Neil Gaiman is an author, screenwriter, graphic novelist and all-round geek idol. Credited as one of the top living postmodern writers, and winner of the Newbery and Carnegie Medals, his works include The Sandman, Coraline, Stardust, American Gods, a Douglas Adams biography, and two episodes of Doctor Who. 1.8 million people follow him on Twitter. Born in Portsmouth, he currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with his wife, the rock star Amanda Palmer.

Neil will be celebrating the publication of his new novel: The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This will be Neil’s first novel for adults since the Sunday Times bestseller Anansi Boys in 2005. He will give an hour long talk and will be signing all copies of ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ plus one backlist title. You can buy a copy of ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ at the event, subject to availability.

Earlier in the day, Neil will be celebrated in a road naming ceremony. The bus lane, west of Canoe Lake, will be called ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’. The road naming ceremony will take place at 3pm in the afternoon where he will be hosted by the Lord Mayor and welcomed to do the official unveiling of The Ocean at the End of the Lane road sign.

This is an opportunity not to be missed so get your tickets as soon as possible!

*Kindly note that Neil will only be able to sign one backlist or much loved title and one newly purchased title per customer. Please also note that orders for pre-signed copies may placed via email through Jo at Blackwell’s jo.west@blackwell.co.uk

– See more at: http://portsmouthguildhall.org.uk/events/an-evening-with-neil-gaiman#sthash.RRJLucRV.dpuf