Beard, Richard
Richard Beard is the Director of the National Academy of Writing and has published five novels including X 20 A Novel of (not) Smoking (1996), Dry Bones (2004) and Damascus (1999), which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. In 2008 he was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award and in 2010 longlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award. His new novel Lazarus is Dead was published by Harvill Secker in 2011. He has also written three books of non-fiction. Muddied Oafs (2003), Manly Pursuits (2006) and Becoming Drusilla (2008). Photo credit: Dru Marland