Gerard Woodward (born 1961) is a British
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
,
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
and short story writer, best known for his trilogy of novels concerning the troubled Jones family, the second of which, ''
I'll Go to Bed at Noon'', was shortlisted for the 2004
Man Booker Prize.
Biography
Woodward was born in North London and attended St Ignatius College, a Jesuit comprehensive school, leaving at 16 to work for two years in a variety of jobs before studying painting at
Falmouth School of Art
Falmouth University ( kw, Pennskol Aberfal) is a specialist public university for the creative industries based in Falmouth and Penryn, Cornwall, England. Founded as Falmouth School of Art in 1902, it was later known as Falmouth College of Ar ...
in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. He dropped out in his second year but later attended the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
, where he studied Social Anthropology, and Manchester University, where he studied for an MA in the same subject.
In 1989 he won a major
Eric Gregory Award for poets under 30 and his first collection of poetry, ''Householder'', won the
Somerset Maugham Award
The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors. Set up by William Somerset Maugham in 1947 the awards enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience in foreign countries. The awa ...
in 1991. His first novel, ''
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
'', was shortlisted for the
Whitbread Award
The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
. In 2011 he was writer in residence at
Columbia College,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. He has taught or been a writer in residence in many countries including China, Greece, Sweden, Slovenia and Ireland. He is currently Professor of Fiction at
Bath Spa University
Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshire.
The insti ...
.
Awards
*1989 Eric Gregory Award
*1991 ''Householder'' made Poetry Book Society Choice
*1991 Somerset Maugham Award
*1991 J.L.Rhys Award
*1994 ''After The Deafening ''made Poetry Book Society Choice
*1994 T.S.Eliot Prize (shortlisted)
*2001 Whitbread First Novel Award (shortlisted)
*2004 Man Booker Prize (shortlisted)
*2004 Encore Award (shortlisted)
*2005 Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature
*2011 Sunday Times Short Story Award (shortlisted)
*2014 Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize
*2017 O.Henry Award
*2019 Honorary Doctorate Middlesex University
Bibliography
Poetry
*''The Unwriter & Other Poems'' (1989)
*''Householder'' (1991),
*''After the Deafening'' (1994),
*''Island to Island'' (1999),
*''We Were Pedestrians'' (2005),
*''The Seacunny'' (2012)
*''The Vulture'' (2022)
Fiction
*''
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...
'' (2001), , shortlisted for the
2001 Whitbread Book Awards
The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
*''
I'll Go to Bed at Noon'' (2004), , shortlisted for the 2004
Man Booker Prize
*''
A Curious Earth'' (2007)
*''
Caravan Thieves'' (short stories; 2008)
*''Nourishment'' (2010; published as ''Letters from an Unknown Woman'' in the US)
*''Vanishing'' (2014)
*''Legoland'' (short stories; 2016),
*''The Paper Lovers'' (2018)
References
1961 births
Living people
Alumni of Falmouth University
Alumni of the London School of Economics
20th-century English novelists
21st-century English novelists
English male poets
Academics of Bath Spa University
Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature
English male novelists
20th-century English male writers
21st-century English male writers
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