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Ben Myers

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Ben Myers

FRSL
BornJanuary 1976 (age 48)
Durham, County Durham, England
OccupationWriter and journalist
Alma materUniversity of Bedfordshire
Notable awardsPortico Prize For Literature. Gordon Burn Prize. Roger Deakin Award. Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Goldsmiths Prize.
SpouseAdelle Stripe
Website
www.benjaminmyerswriter.com

Benjamin Myers FRSL (born January 1976) is an English writer[1] and journalist.

Early life

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Myers grew up in Belmont, County Durham,[2] and was a pupil at the estate's local comprehensive school where he became interested in reading and skateboarding.[3]

Myers attended his first concert in Durham in March 1990, when he was fourteen. It led to him forming the punk rock band Sour Face the next year.[4] The band quickly became involved in the Durham hardcore punk scene. Despite being one of the few bands in the scene that was not straight edge, Sour Face became the mascots, with their third performance seeing them open for NOFX. Voorhees' first performance was opening for Sour Face in September 1991.[5]

As a teenager Myers began writing for British weekly Melody Maker.[6] In 1997 he became their staff writer while residing in the Oval Mansions squat for several years. In 2011 he published an article, about his brief time as an intern at News of the World.[6] He has spoken about failing English Literature at A-level and being rejected by "more than a hundred" universities before being accepted by the University of Bedfordshire (formerly Luton University).[7]

Work

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Journalism

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As a journalist, Myers has written about literature, music and the arts for a number of publications including New Statesman, Mojo, The Guardian, NME, The Spectator, BBC, New Scientist, Alternative Press, Kerrang!, Plan B, Arena, Bizarre, The Quietus, Vice, Shortlist, Caught by the River, Metal Hammer, The Morning Star, Classic Rock, 3:AM Magazine, Mineshaft and Time Out.

Books

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Myers' books span literary fiction, nature/landscape writing, crime, historical fiction and poetry. He has been translated into eight languages. He has published several poetry collections and written a number of music biographies which have been widely translated. He is a founding member of the Brutalists, a literary collective including authors Adelle Stripe and Tony O'Neill. His second novel, Richard: A Novel, was a fictionalized account of the life of musician Richey Edwards. It was published by Picador in October 2010, and polarised critical opinion.

Pig Iron (2012) was set in the traveller/gypsy community of the northeast of England and was the first to be published under his full name Benjamin Myers. Published by Bluemoose Books, it won the inaugural Gordon Burn Prize[8] and was longlisted for 3:AM Magazine's 'Novels of the Year'[9] and runner-up in The Guardian's 'Not The Booker Prize',[10] in the same year.

Myers' novel The Gallows Pole (2017), based on the true story of the Cragg Vale Coiners, received a Roger Deakin Award and won the 2018 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction.[11] As part of the prize, both author and book title appeared as the official Royal Mail franking stamp for a week on an estimated 60 million pieces of mail. It was released by Third Man Books, part of Third Man Records in the US and Canada.[12] In 2021 the BBC announced an adaptation of the novel by director Shane Meadows.[13] It was first broadcast on BBC2 on 31 May 2023.[14][15]

His novel The Offing (2019) featured on Radio 4's Book At Bedtime, was a Radio 2 Book Club choice and was chosen as a book of the year in The Times. The audiobook was narrated by actor Ralph Ineson. A stage version of The Offing was produced in Scarborough and Newcastle in 2021,[16] and it was announced in 2023 that a film would be produced of the novel starring Helena Bonham Carter and directed by Jessica Hobbs.[17]

In late 2018 it was reported he had signed to Bloomsbury Publishing.[18] The deal was satirised in the 'Books & Bookmen' column in Private Eye.[19]

Cuddy, his eighth novel, combines poetry, prose, play, diary and real historical accounts of the story and legacy of St. Cuthbert and his connection to Durham Cathedral.[20][21]

Rare Singles, his most recent novel, is set across a Northern Soul weekender in Scarborough and is currently in development as a film.[22]

Personal life

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Myers lives in the Calder Valley with his wife, the author Adelle Stripe.[23]

Honours

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In 2014 Myers won the Society of Authors Tom-Gallon Trust Award[24] for his short story, 'The Folk Song Singer'. He was runner-up in the same prize in 2018 for his story 'A Thousand Acres Of English Soil'. His poem 'The Path To Pendle Hill' was selected by New Statesman as one of its Poems Of The Year 2015[25] and work from the same collection were read by Myers on BBC1 programme Countryfile.

His novel Beastings (2014) won the Portico Prize For Literature and the Northern Writers' Award. It was also longlisted for the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. In 2019 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from York St John University.[26]

Myers was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.[27] He was awarded the 2023 Goldsmiths Prize for his novel, Cuddy, which was described by the judges as "a book of remarkable range, virtuosity and creative daring."[28]

Awards

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Bibliography

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Fiction

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Novels

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Short stories

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  • Male Tears (Bloomsbury, 2021)[50]

Crime fiction

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  • Turning Blue (Moth/Mayfly, 2016. Bloomsbury, 2022)[51]
  • These Darkening Days (Moth/Mayfly, 2017. Bloomsbury, 2022)[52]

Short fiction

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  • The Whip Hand (Tangerine Press, 2018). Short story (Signed/limited edition hand-sewn chapbook)[53]
  • Snorri & Frosti (Galley Beggar Press / 3:AM Press, 2013). Novella (limited edition paperback and Ebook)[54]

Non-fiction

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  • American Heretics: Rebel Voices In Music (Codex, 2002)[55]
  • Under The Rock (Elliott & Thompson, 2018)[56]

Poetry

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  • I, Axl: An American Dream (online only, 2008–2009)
  • Spam: Email Inspired Poems (Blackheath, 2008)[57]
  • Nowhere Fast (co-written with Tony O'Neill and Adelle Stripe (Captains Of Industry, 2008)
  • The Raven of Jórvíkshire (Tangerine Press, 2017)
  • Heathcliff Adrift (New Writing North, 2014. Reissued 2018)[58]
  • The Offing: Poems by Romy Landau (Bloomsbury/Tangerine Press, 2019)

Music biography / essays

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References

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  1. ^ Myers, Benjamin (3 January 2020). "'I was half-insane with anxiety': how I wrote myself into a breakdown". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 January 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
  2. ^ Writing Durham: Ben Myers. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  3. ^ Myers, Benjamin (13 October 2018). "Benjamin Myers on Durham: 'I spent a lot of time up trees or trespassing on roofs'". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  4. ^ "The Quietus | Features | Baker's Dozen | The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music: Benjamin Myers' Favourite Music". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  5. ^ Stewart, Ethan (2 December 2020). "A Look at the '80s and '90s UK Straight Edge Hardcore Scenes". Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b Myers, Ben (8 July 2011). "My Time Undercover At The News Of The World". Vice. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  7. ^ Law, Jackie (15 January 2018). "Author Interview: Benjamin Myers". neverimitate. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Benjamin Myers wins Gordon Burn Prize". Newwritingnorth.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  9. ^ "3:AM Awards 2012: Longlist". 3:AM Magazine. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  10. ^ Jordison, Sam (15 October 2012). "Not the Booker prize: The winner | Books". The Guardian. theguardian.com. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Benjamin Myers wins Walter Scott Prize 2018". BBC News. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  12. ^ "Jack White's imprint signs Benjamin Myers | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com.
  13. ^ Bley Griffiths, Eleanor. "BBC announces new Shane Meadows drama The Gallows Pole, based on 'the biggest fraud in British history'". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  14. ^ Richardson, Hollie; Davies, Hannah J.; Verdier, Hannah; Virtue, Graeme (31 May 2023). "TV tonight: Shane Meadows's first period drama is about the Cragg Vale Coiners". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  15. ^ "The Gallows Pole - Watch the trailer for Shane Meadows' new drama". www.bbc.co.uk. 19 May 2023. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  16. ^ Fisher, Mark (22 October 2021). "The Offing review – soft-pedalled adaptation of Benjamin Myers novel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  17. ^ Barraclough, Leo (8 February 2023). "Helena Bonham Carter to Star in 'The Offing,' Reteaming With 'The Crown' Director Jessica Hobbs". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Myers moves to Bloomsbury for 'exquisite' novel | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com.
  19. ^ "Private Eye". 21 December 2018.
  20. ^ Allan, Nina (9 March 2023). "Cuddy by Benjamin Myers review – a visionary history". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  21. ^ Anderson, Hephzibah (19 March 2023). "Cuddy by Benjamin Myers review – a polyphonic hymn to the north-east". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  22. ^ Dalton, Ben (13 November 2024). "Nickie Sault, Shane Meadows longtime collaborator, launches film and TV production company Class 5". Screen Daily. Retrieved 19 December 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Charlesworth, Antonia (23 May 2022). "Radical and gently revolutionary". Big Issue North. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Tom-Gallon Trust Award | Society of Authors – Protecting the rights and furthering the interests of authors". Society of Authors. Archived from the original on 19 July 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Poems of the year". www.newstatesman.com. 8 June 2021.
  26. ^ "York St John University announces 2019 honorary graduates". York St John University. 11 October 2019.
  27. ^ Creamer, Ella (12 July 2023). "Royal Society of Literature aims to broaden representation as it announces 62 new fellows". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  28. ^ Creamer, Ella (8 November 2023). "Benjamin Myers wins 2023 Goldsmiths prize for 'vital' novel Cuddy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  29. ^ "Northern Writers' Awards 2013". New Writing North. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021.
  30. ^ "Gordon Burn Prize 2013". Gordon Burn Prize. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017.
  31. ^ "Tom-Gallon Trust Award 2014". Society of Authors. 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020.
  32. ^ "Fiction Uncovered Prize Longlist 2015". Jerwood Arts. 12 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021.
  33. ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (30 November 2015). "Myers and Benson win £10k Portico Literature Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  34. ^ Duffy, Kevin (29 December 2016). "The Society of Authors' Roger Deakin Award 2016". Bluemoose Books. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021.
  35. ^ Griffiths, Neil. "The Republic of Consciousness Prize longlist". TLS. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020.
  36. ^ "Past winners of the Tom-Gallon Trust Award". Society of Authors. 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  37. ^ "Benjamin Myers wins Walter Scott Prize 2018". BBC Scotland. 18 June 2018.
  38. ^ "Le Prix Polars Pourpres". Polars Pourpres. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015.
  39. ^ "Portico Prize Shortlist 2020". The Portico Library. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019.
  40. ^ "Benjamin Myers' "Offene See" ist das Lieblingsbuch der Unabhängigen 2020". Buch Markt. 7 November 2020.
  41. ^ "Myers wins Goldsmiths Prize for Cuddy". Books+Publishing. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  42. ^ Sherburn, Lucy (22 March 2024). "Winston Graham Historical Prize Winner Announced!". Royal Cornwall Museum. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  43. ^ Wood, Heloise (26 April 2024). "Isabella Hammad and Benjamin Myers shortlisted for £10k Ondaatje Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  44. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2004). The book of fuck. North Cave, East Yorkshire: Wrecking Ball Press. ISBN 1-903110-15-7. OCLC 56791363.
  45. ^ "Richard: Amazon.co.uk: Ben Myers: Books". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  46. ^ "benjamin myers pig iron: Books". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  47. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2019). Beastings. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. ISBN 978-1-5266-1122-2. OCLC 1111949459.
  48. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2019). The gallows pole. London. ISBN 978-1-5266-1115-4. OCLC 1102319901.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  49. ^ Cook, Jude (21 August 2019). "The Offing by Benjamin Myers review – poignant story of an unlikely friendship". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 January 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
  50. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2021). Male Tears. London, UK: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-5266-1134-5. OCLC 1238056757.
  51. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2016). Turning blue. Rainton Bridge. ISBN 978-1-911356-00-4. OCLC 945718656.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  52. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2017). These darkening days. Tyne and Wear, England. ISBN 978-1-911356-02-8. OCLC 990643416.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  53. ^ MYERS, BENJAMIN (2018). WHIP HAND. SICK FLY PUBLICATIONS. ISBN 978-1-910691-39-7. OCLC 1059320282.
  54. ^ "Snorri & Frosti by Ben Myers Ltd Edition Christmas paperback from 3AM Press – with added sparkles! – Galley Beggar Press". Galleybeggar.co.uk. 1 December 2013. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  55. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2002). American heretics : rebel voices in music. Hove: Codex. ISBN 1-899598-23-5. OCLC 50175926.
  56. ^ MYERS, BENJAMIN (2019). UNDER THE ROCK : the poetry of a place. ELLIOTT & THOMPSON LIMITE. ISBN 978-1-78396-436-9. OCLC 1079920878.
  57. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2008). Spam : email inspired poetry. [Llanteg]: Blackheath Books. ISBN 978-1-906099-07-7. OCLC 648080523.
  58. ^ MYERS, BENJAMIN (2018). HEATHCLIFF ADRIFT. MAYFLY Press. ISBN 978-1-911356-08-0. OCLC 1028232969.
  59. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2004). John Lydon : PiL, Pistols and anti-celebrity. London: Independent Music. ISBN 0-9539942-7-9. OCLC 56640176.
  60. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2005). Green Day : American idiots & the new punk explosion. Church Stretton: Independent Music Press. ISBN 0-9539942-9-5. OCLC 64553821.
  61. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2006). System of a Down : right here in Hollywood. Church Stretton: Independent Music. ISBN 978-0-9549704-6-8. OCLC 63136435.
  62. ^ Myers, Benjamin (2004). MUSE. London: Independent Music. ISBN 0-9539942-6-0. OCLC 56438421.
  63. ^ Lowry, Ray; Ben Myers (2007). The Clash. Warwick: Angry Penguin. ISBN 978-1-906283-36-0. OCLC 165412921.
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