Benjamin J. Myers

Benjamin J. Myers, born in January 1976, is an English writer and journalist with a multifaceted career. He grew up in County Durham, where his early interests in reading and skateboarding led to his involvement in the punk rock scene and early writing for Melody Maker. After a period as a staff writer, Myers pursued a prolific career across various genres, including literary fiction, nature writing, crime, historical fiction, and poetry. His journalistic contributions span numerous publications, covering literature, music, and the arts. Myers is also a founding member of the literary collective The Brutalists. His novels have garnered significant critical attention and awards, with several being translated into multiple languages and adapted for film and television. He currently resides in the Calder Valley with his wife, author Adelle Stripe.

Benjamin J. Myers has established a broad literary output, encompassing literary fiction, nature and landscape writing, crime fiction, historical fiction, and poetry. His work has been translated into eight languages. He has authored several poetry collections and music biographies that have achieved international recognition. Myers is also a co-founder of The Brutalists, a literary group that includes authors Adelle Stripe and Tony O'Neill. His journalistic career is extensive, with contributions to prominent publications such as The New Statesman, Mojo, The Guardian, NME, and The Spectator, among many others. His writing for these outlets covers diverse subjects, including literature, music, and the arts.

Myers' novels have received critical acclaim and numerous awards. His second novel, 'Richard: A Novel' (2010), offered a fictionalized portrayal of musician Richey Edwards and generated polarized critical responses. 'Pig Iron' (2012), set within the traveller community of Northeast England, won the first Gordon Burn Prize. 'The Gallows Pole' (2017), based on the historical Cragg Vale Coiners, earned a Roger Deakin Award and the 2018 Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction; it was later adapted into a BBC series. 'The Offing' (2019) was a critical success, featured on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 2, and has been adapted for stage and film. His more recent novels, 'Cuddy' (2023) and 'Rare Singles' (2024), continue to explore diverse themes and settings, with 'Cuddy' winning the prestigious Goldsmiths Prize.

Throughout his career, Benjamin J. Myers has been recognized with numerous accolades. He received the Society of Authors Tom-Gallon Trust Award in 2014 for his short story 'The Folk Song Singer'. His novel 'Beastings' (2014) won both the Portico Prize For Literature and the Northern Writers' Award. In 2019, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from York St John University. A significant recognition came in 2023 when he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and won the Goldsmiths Prize for his novel 'Cuddy', lauded by judges for its 'remarkable range, virtuosity and creative daring.' His novel 'Cuddy' also received the Winston Graham Historical Prize in 2024.