“Modern fiction at its innovative best.” Melvin Burgess
“Beautifully ammoniacal and intense.” Will Self
“One of the best novels I have read in years.” David Peace
“Dark, funny and twisted.” A. L. Kennedy
“Bleak but wonderful.” Alan Bennett
“As good as British fiction gets.” Loud and Quiet
Michael Stewart is a multi award-winning novelist, short story writer, poet, and playwright. He is the author of four novels, two short story collections, two poetry collections, and numerous plays for radio and theatre. Born and brought up in Salford, he now lives in Bradford. Michael is the Editor-in-Chief of Grist Books and the Director of the Brontë Writing Centre in Haworth. His new novel, Black Wood Women, will be published by Harper Collins in 2024.
Michael’s last book, The Dogs, was published by Smokestack Books in 2023. It touches upon the origin myths of dogs, how they have been viewed by different societies through the centuries and how man co-opted dogs into everyday life. It also looks at the effects of genetic changes on dogs through breeding and imagines a future world where dogs have learned to speak and are demanding better treatment from humans. The Dogs includes original illustrations by artist Louis Benoit. The accompanying audiobook includes a 3D Soundscape by musicians, Dr Hyunkook Lee and Katia Sochaczewska.
Walking The Invisible (2018) was a hybrid memoir which combines nature writing with an exploration of the landscapes that inspired the Brontës’ literature. It was published by HQ, HarperCollins in June 2021. It was praised in The Guardian as ‘a terrific tribute to the Brontës – and to the landscape that shaped their literature’, demonstrating ‘how landscape grows in the imagination and lays bare the “invisible” world of the heart and mind’.
