Prof Alan Wall
Professor of Writing and Literature
Alan is a novelist and essayist. His work has been translated into ten languages. His work in verse and prose, Jacob, was shortlisted for the Hawthornden Prize. Some of his works, like Bless the Thief, The School of Night and The Lightning Cage, have been published in many editions. His latest novel White Ivory is currently being serialized in The Fortnightly Review. The Fortnightly also publishes Alan's essays. It has already brought out three volumes and is currently preparing a fourth, King of Infinite Space.
Alan's teaching ranges from first-year undergraduate to PhD level. It is mostly concerned with Creative Writing.
Alan's research interests range widely and can best be seen in his essays. These have been collected together in three volumes, Labyrinths and Clues, Walter Benjamin: An Arcade of Reflections, and Midnight of the Sublime. A fourth volume is now in preparation, entitled King of Infinite Space.
The following is a list of his major fiction titles: Bless the Thief, Secker and Warburg, 1997; Silent Conversations, Secker and Warburg, 1998; Richard Dadd in Bedlam, Secker and Warburg, 1999;The Lightning Cage, Secker and Warburg, 1999; The School of Night, Secker and Warburg, January 2001; China, Secker and Warburg, April 2003; Sylvie’s Riddle, Quartet, 2008. In addition, stories have appeared in London Magazine, The Jewish Quarterly, Waterstone's Magazine, The Richmond Review, Fantastic Metropolis, Fiction Uncovered, Paraxis, Black Static. Stories and a novella have been appearing in Asimov’s Science Fiction, in 2012 and 2013.
Alan is also a poet, and has of late concentrated on publishing poetry along with non-fiction. The following are his major poetry publications: Jacob, Bellew, 1993 (shortlisted for the Hawthornden Prize); Alexander Pope at Twickenham, Shearsman 2008; Gilgamesh, Shearsman, 2008; Doctor Placebo, Shearsman, 2010; Endtimes, Shearsman, was launched at Swedenborg House in London in March 2013, to considerable acclaim. Poems and translations have also appeared in Stand, PN Review, Agenda, The Spectator and BBC Wildlife Magazine.
Alan has reviewed regularly for many journals and magazines, including The Spectator, The Guardian, Agenda, PN Review, The Jewish Quarterly, The London Magazine, English, the THES, Poetry London, The Art Newspaper, The Literary Review, and Fortnightly Review.
His Writing Fiction was published by Harper Collins in 2007.
His essays have been widely published in The Jerusalem Review, London Magazine and PN Review. ‘Grub Street' appeared in Disappearances of London (Hamish Hamilton, 2006 and Penguin 2007); ‘Extremities of Perception' in Leonardo (MIT Press, 2007). His essays are currently appearing in The Fortnightly Review, and will appear as a book, Labyrinths and Clues, late in 2013. Another set of essays concerning the history of language have been appearing in The Reader, Ready Steady Book, and elsewhere. They will be published as a book late in 2013 or early in 2014.
Alan published the novel Badmouth in 2014. It was described as 'thrilling' in The Times. He has just completed his trilogy of books of essays for the Fortnightly Review. These are Labyrinths and Clues, Walter Benjamin: An Arcade of Reflections, and Midnight of the Sublime.
Alan was elected a Fellow of the English Association in 2012, in recognition of the importance of his published work.
- MA