Wood, Michael

Benjamin Wood, born in 1981, is a British author and academic who has published five novels. His literary career began with "The Bellwether Revivals," which garnered award attention, including a shortlisting for the Costa Book Award for First Novel and winning France's Prix du roman Fnac.

Wood's subsequent works, including "The Ecliptic," "A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better," "The Young Accomplice," and "Seascraper," have continued to attract critical acclaim and award nominations. "The Young Accomplice" was recognized as a book of the year by multiple publications, and "Seascraper" won the Nero Book Award for fiction and was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize.

Academically, Wood holds a degree in screenwriting from the University of Central Lancashire and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, where he also served as fiction editor for Prism International. He has lectured at Birkbeck, University of London, and currently holds a senior lecturer position in creative writing at King's College London.

Benjamin Wood's debut novel, "The Bellwether Revivals" (2012), quickly established his presence in the literary world, earning a place on the shortlist for the Costa Book Award for First Novel and the Commonwealth Book Prize. The novel later secured the Prix du roman Fnac in France in 2014. His second novel, "The Ecliptic" (2015), was influenced by his time in Istanbul and was recognized with shortlistings for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award and the RSL Encore Award. "A Station on the Path to Somewhere Better" (2018) was shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature and the CWA Gold Dagger. More recently, "The Young Accomplice" (2022) was celebrated as a book of the year by numerous prestigious publications, including The Irish Times and The Spectator, and was also broadcast in a serialized version on BBC Radio 4. His fifth novel, "Seascraper" (2025), has already been honored with the Nero Book Award for fiction and is slated for consideration for the Walter Scott Prize and Booker Prize.

Born in 1981 and raised in Southport, Wood's early life included experiences within a nursing home run by his parents. His aptitude for writing became apparent in his youth when a teacher mistook his original work for plagiarism. After an initial pursuit of a music career, he pursued formal education, earning a BTEC in art and design and a degree in screenwriting. A Commonwealth Scholarship facilitated his MFA in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia, where he contributed as the fiction editor for Prism International. His academic career includes a lecturing role at Birkbeck, University of London, where he co-founded and directed the undergraduate creative writing program. He currently serves as a senior lecturer in creative writing at King's College London.