Gerard Woodward (born 4 December 1961 in Enfield, London) is a British novelist, poet and short story writer, best known for his trilogy of novels concerning the troubled Jones family, the second of which, I'll Go to Bed at Noon, was shortlisted for the 2004 Man Booker Prize. As of April 2024, he is a professor of creative writing at Bath Spa University.
Early life and education
Woodward was born in Enfield, London on 4 December 1961 to Reginald L. and Sylvia Woodward (). He had four younger siblings. In 1981, his brother Francis died after being struck by a train while drunk. His mother died shortly after.
Woodward attended St Ignatius College, a Jesuit comprehensive school, leaving at 16 to work for two years in a variety of jobs. He later studied painting at Falmouth School of Art in Cornwall, though dropped out in his second year. Woodward ultimately received a Bachelor of Science Honours in social anthropology from London School of Economics, In 2019, Woodward received an Honorary Doctorate from Middlesex University.
Career
In 1989, Woodward won a Eric Gregory Award for poets under 30. He published his first poetry collection, Householder, in 1991; it won the year's Somerset Maugham Award. Woodward has since published the short story collection Caravan Thieves (2008) and the novels Nourishment (2010) and Vanishing (2014).
Awards and honors
In 1989, Woodward won the Eric Gregory Award for poets under age 30.
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|2004
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|Encore Award
|Shortlist
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|2017
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|O. Henry Award
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|2018
|The Paper Lovers
|Bad Sex in Fiction
|Shortlist
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Personal life
Woodward met his wife Suzanne Jane Anderson while studying at Falmouth School of Art.