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William Woodard "Will" Self (born 26 September 1961) is an English novelist, reviewer and columnist. He is known for his satirical, grotesque and fantastical novels and short stories.
[edit] Personal lifeSelf was raised, in his words, in "an effortlessly dull" North London suburb by "intellectually snobbish parents". Self's father, Peter Self, was both a Professor of Public Administration at the London School of Economics and Professor of Urban Research at the Australian National University, and his mother was a Jewish-American émigré. Despite the intellectual encouragement given by his parents, Self was an emotionally confused and self-destructive child, harming himself with cigarette ends and knives before getting into drugs in his teenage years.[1] As mentioned on an episode of Have I Got News For You, he attended University College School, an independent school for boys in Hampstead in North London, with Hugh Dennis where they played rugby together. He later attended Christ's College Finchley. Self was a voracious reader from a young age. At ten an interest in science fiction grew, with notable works such as Frank Herbert's Dune, J. G. Ballard and Philip K. Dick reflecting the precociousness of Self's reading. Into his teenage years, Self claimed to have been "overawed by the canon", stifling his ability to express himself. Nevertheless, Self's dabbling with illegal drugs grew analogous to his prolific reading. Self won a place at Exeter College, Oxford where he read philosophy. His reasons for not studying English were covered by Self in an interview with the Guardian.
Self was addicted to heroin, as well as many other drugs, in the past, but has abstained, except for caffeine and nicotine since 1998.[3] He currently lives in Stockwell, South London,[4] and has written about hikes he has taken around the city, of distances up to 100 miles. He has described himself as a modern flâneur.[5] [edit] FamilySelf has been twice married. He was married to Katherine (Kate) Sylvia Chancellor, from 1989 to 1997. Kate is a daughter of John Chancellor[6] and his first wife Hon. (Mary) Alice Joliffe (herself daughter of William Jolliffe, 4th Baron Hylton and a great-granddaughter of H.H. Asquith, British Prime Minister in the early 20th century). Kate is also the older sister of actress Anna Chancellor, and the niece of journalist Alexander Chancellor. Together they had two children, a son Alexis and a daughter Madeleine. In 1997, Self married Deborah Jane Orr,[7] a journalist, with whom he has two sons called Ivan and Luther. His brother is the author Jonathan Self. [edit] CareerWill Self has made many appearances on British television, notably as a contestant on Have I Got News for You (as of 2007 he has made nine guest appearances, a record for people who haven't been host of the show), as a regular on Shooting Stars and Grumpy Old Men, a guest appearance on Satisfied Fool and a full episode of Room 101. He has also been a panellist on the BBC Radio 4 comedy series "The Unbelievable Truth". He gained a degree of infamy in 1997 when he was sent by the British broadsheet The Observer to cover the electoral campaign of John Major, and was subsequently fired from the newspaper after taking heroin on the Prime Minister's jet.[2] In December 2008 and November 2009, Self appeared on BBC One's Question Time. His Psychogeography column appeared in the magazine section of the Saturday edition of The Independent. He has also written for the New Statesman and Prospect magazine. [edit] Literary styleLike Salman Rushdie, Will Self writes much of his fiction with references and allusions to modern culture (both high and low)[citation needed]. The influences on his fiction mentioned most frequently include J.G. Ballard, William Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson often not for purely literary reasons. Alongside these he has cited[citation needed] such diverse writers as Jonathan Swift, Alasdair Gray, Franz Kafka, Lewis Carroll, Joseph Heller and Louis-Ferdinand Celine as formative influences on his writing style. Martin Amis is often mentioned alongside Self; Self went to interview him but they ended up having more of a discussion about each other's work and lives — it is known that they have tremendous respect for each other.[4] Zack Busner is a recurring character in the fiction of Will Self, appearing in the short story collections The Quantity Theory of Insanity, Grey Area, Dr. Mukti and Other Tales of Woe, as well as in the novels Great Apes and The Book of Dave. Busner is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst practising in London, and is prone to self-promotion at the expense of his patients. He is often the antagonist of the stories he appears in, although not always with villainous intent. [edit] Works[edit] Fiction
Short fiction
[edit] Non-fictionSelf has also compiled several books of work from his newspaper and magazine columns which mix interviews with counter-culture figures, restaurant reviews and literary criticism.
[edit] Introductions and forewords
[edit] Narration
[edit] Awards
Self has been shortlisted three times for the Bad Sex in Fiction Award: in 2002 for Dorian, in 2004 for "Dr Mukti" in Dr Mukti and other tales of woe and in 2006 for The Book of Dave. [edit] References
[edit] External links
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