Nathan Filer

Nathan Filer
Occupation Writer, Lecturer
Nationality British
Alma mater University of the West of England
Notable works The Shock of the Fall
Notable awards Costa Book of the Year
Betty Trask Prize
Website
nathanfiler.co.uk

Literature portal

Nathan Filer is a British writer whose debut novel, The Shock of the Fall, won several major awards, including the 2013 Costa Book of the Year[1] and the 2014 Betty Trask Prize.[2] It was a Sunday Times Bestseller,[3] and one of the UK's best selling titles of 2014.[4] It has been translated into thirty languages.[5]

Filer was born in Bristol in 1980. He attended the Ridings High School, a large secondary school located in the village of Winterbourne in South Gloucestershire.[6] In 2002 he trained as a psychiatric nurse gaining a degree in Mental Health Nursing from the University of the West of England[7] and later worked in mental health research at the University of Bristol.[8] He also worked as a performance poet contributing regularly to festivals and spoken-word events across the UK, and featuring on television and radio.[9] His 2005 comedy short film Oedipus won the BBC Best New Filmmaker Award and numerous other prizes.[10]

The Shock of the Fall describes the life of a boy from Bristol dealing with his grief at the death of his brother, and experience of mental health care services for schizophrenia.[11][12][13] Reviewing the book in The Psychologist, Caroline Flurey writes, "This is a beautifully poignant book, written with sympathy and sensitivity, well deserving of its Costa Book of the Year award."[14]

Filer has written on a range of issues for The Guardian[15][16][17] and The New York Times.[18]

He is currently a lecturer in creative writing at Bath Spa University.[11]

Published works

Awards and honours

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Nathan Filer wins Costa Book of the Year with debut novel". BBC. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Filer and McBride among SoA award winners". The Bookseller. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Conville & Walsh The Shock of the Fall". Conville & Walsh. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Bestselling Books of 2014". The Guardian.
  5. ↑ "Who is this guy?". Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  6. ↑ MacCormick, Ken. "Bristol author Nathan Filer wins Costa Book of the Year award". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Nathan Filer alumnus profile". University of the West of England. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Nathan Filer". Conville & Walsh. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Nathan Filer". Apples & Snakes. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Nathan Filer". National Book Awards. Retrieved 24 Feb 2015.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Brown, Mark (28 January 2014). "Costa book award won by Nathan Filer for debut novel, The Shock of the Fall". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  12. ↑ Clark, Nick (28 January 2014). "Costa Book of the Year: Debut novelist Nathan Filer is shock winner of prestigious prize". Independent. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  13. ↑ Chilton, Martin (7 January 2014). "The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  14. ↑ Fluery, C. (2014), "Beautifully poignant", The Psychologist, Vo. 27, No. 6, June 2014, p460.
  15. ↑ "Mental Health Care: where did it all go so wrong?". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Why you should ignore the superlatives on book jackets". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "My Hero: Malala Yousafzai". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  18. ↑ "Rules of Engagement". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  19. ↑ "Bath Spa University Lecturer Nathan Filer recognised at the Specsavers National Book Awards 2014". Bath Chronical. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Writers' Guild Awards: Winners Announced". Retrieved 21 January 2015.