Andrew Michael Hurley (born 1975)[1] is a British writer whose debut novel, The Loney, was published in a limited edition of 350 copies on 1 October 2014 by Tartarus Press[2][3] and was published under Hodder and Stoughton's John Murray imprint in 2015.[4] He was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Open Book programme "British Gothic" in October 2015.[5]
Literary career
editHurley has previously had two volumes of short stories published by Lime Tree Press : Cages and Other Stories (2006) and The Unusual Death of Julie Christie and Other Stories (2008).[3]
The Loney was reviewed in The Guardian and The Telegraph.[6][7] It is set in the area of Morecambe Bay in north west England, described in the text as "that strange nowhere between the Wyre and the Lune".[4] Hurley has said that the novel's two starting points were "to write a kind of dark version of the Nativity [...] and exploring ideas of faith and belief" and "various wild, lonely places on the north west coast of Lancashire [...] a sense of imminent menace or dormant power lying just under the sand and the water".[8] It is the winner of the 2015 Costa Book Award for First Novel[9] as well as the British Book Industry Award for best debut fiction and book of the year.[10]
His second novel, Devil's Day, was published on 19 October 2017 by John Murray [11] and Tartarus Press[12] Its setting, "The Endlands", is based on Langden valley in Lancashire's Forest of Bowland.[13] The book "deploys myth, landscape and the tropes of horror to chilling effect".[14][15] Hurley was joint winner of the Royal Society of Literature's 2018 Encore Award for best second novel.[16]
Hurley's third novel Starve Acre was published 31 October 2019 by John Murray. The "Starve Acre" of the title is the home of a couple whose child has died, and it is "a novel which grapples with the irrationality and complexity of grief, the power and potency of folklore, and a moving examination of the effect a child's loss can have on its parents".[17] The Guardian's critic described it as "an atmospheric tale in the same tradition of English folk-horror" as his previous two books.[18] The film Starve Acre based on the book, was directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, starred Morfydd Clark and Matt Smith, and premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2023.[19]
His fourth novel, Barrowbeck was published on 24 October 2024 and comprises a collection of tales about the fictional village of Barrowbeck, on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border, across 1,000 years.[20][21][22]
Personal life
editHe lives in Lancashire, where he teaches English literature and creative writing.[3]
Awards
edit| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Loney | Costa Book Awards | First Novel | Won | |
| Waverton Good Read Award | — | Longlisted | |||
| 2016 | Authors' Club First Novel Award | — | Longlisted | ||
| British Book Industry Awards | Debut Fiction | Selected | |||
| 2018 | Devil's Day | Encore Award | — | Won |
Publications
editNovels
edit- The Loney (2014, Tartarus; 2015, John Murray: ISBN 978-1473619821)
- Devil's Day (2017, John Murray: ISBN 978-1473619869; Tartarus: ISBN 9781905784981)
- Starve Acre (2019, John Murray: ISBN 978-1529387261)
- Barrowbeck (2024, John Murray: ISBN 978-1399817486)
Collections
edit- Cages and Other Stories (2006, Lime Tree Press: ISBN 9781411699021)
- The Unusual Death of Julie Christie and Other Stories (2008, Lime Tree Press: ISBN 9780955981401)
References
edit- ^ The Loney: Linked Data. Worldcat. OCLC 919313849. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ "The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley". Tartarus Press. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ a b c "Authors: Andrew Michael Hurley". Hodder and Stoughton. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ a b "The Loney". Hodder & Stoughton. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ "Open Book: British Gothic". Radio 4. BBC. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ Perry, Sarah (28 August 2015). "The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley review – a gothic masterpiece". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ Martin, Tim (8 September 2015). "The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley, review: 'haunted and haunting'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ "About the author: Andrew Michael Hurley". Foyles. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ "2015 Costa Award Winners" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ Flood, Alison (9 May 2016). "Debut novel The Loney wins book of the year at British Book Industry awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (2 February 2017). "New Andrew Michael Hurley novel called Devil's Day". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ Cowdrey, Katherine (18 August 2017). "Yorkshire indie to publish limited edition of Hurley's next novel". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Andrew Michael Hurley: Devil's Day". New Writing North. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ Apostolides, Zoë (3 November 2017). "Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley — northern frights". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ Harrison, M. John (26 October 2017). "Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley review – dark tales from the moors". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "The Encore Award 2018" (PDF). Royal Society of Literature. May 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Film deal for Hurley as John Murray snaps up third novel". The Bookseller. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ Merritt, Stephanie (29 October 2019). "Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley review – an atmospheric tale". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (12 October 2023). "Starve Acre review – intelligent performances in sinister Yorkshire folk horror". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ Barrowbeck. Hachette. 6 May 2024. ISBN 978-1-3998-1748-6. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley: Stories with an ominous quality, like a knock at the door on a dark evening". The Irish Times. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
- ^ "Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley review – creepy tales from the valley". Big Issue. 12 November 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
External links
edit- "About the author: Andrew Michael Hurley". Foyles. Retrieved 15 October 2015. Includes questions and answers, with a link to an extract from "The Loney"