Benjamin Myers's Blog, page 3
November 22, 2013
News from The Bookseller
Comedian Julian Barratt (pictured below) and artist Sarah Lucas will be among the judges of the 2014 Gordon Burn Prize. Novelist Benjamin Myers, who won the inaugural award this year, and poet John Burnside make up the remaining judges on the prize, which rewards books which use fiction to explore history, or non-fiction works which use the techniques of fiction.
The prize was set up by Faber and New Writing North in association with the Gordon Burn Trust, and pays tribute to author Gordon Bu...
November 7, 2013
Some thoughts on Melt Yourself Down
Sometimes I am asked by record labels or bands to write their promotional material. I've done work for people ranging from Biffy Clyro to Serj Tankian, Enter Shikari to Pete Molinari, Guillemots to The King Blues. Earlier in the year I did some work Melt Yourself down, whose debut album is possibly my favourite of 2013.
(You can watch them playing on Jools Holland here.)
They wanted something a little unconventional. Here's what I came up with it....
Melt Yourself Down...
November 6, 2013
October 31, 2013
Gordon Burn Prize: Audio
You can hear me talking about Pig Iron and, indeed, you can hear the entire Gordon Burn Prize ceremony over at New Writing North's site.
I come in at around the 45 minute mark, then my sister Kathryn reads an extract from the book (it seemed fitting as the extract required a female narrator). Then I give a little speech at the end.
The other authors are certainly worth listening to, as is the rather excellent incidental music composed by David Brewis of one of Britain's finest pop bands, Fiel...
October 30, 2013
(Double click for full screen).
(Double click for full screen).
October 28, 2013
October 24, 2013
October 22, 2013
Gordon Burn Prize
Pig Iron has won the inaugural Gordon Burn Prize. Much fun was had at the award's ceremony, back on my home turf at Durham Book Festival.
I gave a speech (a rarity). I gave two speeches (rarer still).
I slept in a castle.
Thanks for all the nice messages, and to Bluemoose Books for publishing it. Here is some info about it all.
New Writing North
The Guardian (interview)
October 16, 2013
October 14, 2013
New Statesman article
What Gordon Burn taught me: Write, write write, day and night
The week before the first winner of the inaugural Gordon Burn Prize is announced, novelist Ben Myers remembers the pilgrimage he made to Burn's remote home in the Scottish borders...Haunted is one word I would use to describe Gordon Burn’s writing. Forensic is another. Across a substantial body of work that spans journalism, criticism, biography and fiction – often simultaneously - characters real and imaged drift and merge through...
