HP Tinker (born 24 May 1969) is a Manchester-based short story writer of comic

avant garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

fiction. In 2007, '' Time Out'' called him an "unsung comic genius" and he has been referred to as "the

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, Literary genre, genres and Theme (narrative), th ...

Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, southwest of the Manchester city centre, city centre. Chorlton (ward), Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census, and Chorlton Park (w ...

". Initially championed by Martin Bax at '' Ambit'', novelist

Nicholas Royle Nicholas Royle (born 20 March 1963 in Manchester) is an English novelist, editor, publisher, literary reviewer and creative writing lecturer. Literary career Author Royle has written seven novels: ''Counterparts'', ''Saxophone Dreams'', ''The Ma ...

and '' 3:AM Magazines Andrew Gallix, he was considered a central member of the short-lived

Offbeat generation The Offbeat generation was a loose association of like-minded writers working across different styles but united by their opposition to a mainstream publishing industry driven by marketing departments. The term—coined by Andrew Gallix in '' 3:AM ...

His collection of short fiction, ''The Swank Bisexual Wine Bar of Modernity'' (2007), became an instant underground classic on its release and earned Tinker cult author status. "If HP Tinker didn't exist, you'd have to make him up... he is as influenced as much by

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel ( ;"Seuss"
'' Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

as he is by

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and

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his murder in 1967 committed by his partner, was short but highly i ...

. As one of the brave ones — and one of Britain's most shameless writers — HP Tinker has been peddling his own brand of surrealism for years now, in stories littered with pop cultural references where you are likely to meet

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as you are

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and

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

." (''Dogmatika'' websit

''The Times'' has praised his "hilarious deadpan surrealism", ''The Independent'' thought him "unusual, arresting, smart and very funny" and ''The Guardian'' remarked that he "fizzes with the kind of zany, surreal conjunctions that recall Barthelme and Pynchon in their prime." In 2010 HP Tinker appeared in the 200th edition of '' Ambit'' magazine alongside Peter Blake (artist), Sir Peter Blake and

Jonathan Lethem Jonathan Allen Lethem (; born February 19, 1964) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. His Debut novel, first novel, ''Gun, with Occasional Music'', a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, ...

. His story "Alice In Time & Space and Various Major Cities" was included in ''Best British Short Stories 2012''. Author

Lee Rourke Lee Rourke (born 1972) is an English writer and literary critic. His books include the short story collection ''Everyday'', the novels ''The Canal'' (winner of '' The Guardian’s'' Not the Booker Prize in 2010), ''Vulgar Things'', and ''Glitc ...

devoted a chapter to HP Tinker in ''A Brief History of Fables'', describing his work as “a grand symphony of intertextuality, tomfoolery and theoretical intent”. A second collection of short stories, ''The Girl Who Ate New York'', was published in 2015. In his review, the novelist David Rose commented, "

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described the late

Lee Harwood Lee Harwood (6 June 1939 – 26 July 2015) was an English poet associated with the British Poetry Revival. Life Travers Rafe Lee Harwood was born in Leicester to maths teacher Wilfred Travers Lee-Harwood and Grace Ladkin Harwood, who were then ...

as Britain’s best-kept secret; H.P. Tinker is another, even better-kept secret" and called the book "one of the wittiest, most allusive and elusive collections I have read in years."

Works

Fiction

*''The Swank Bisexual Wine Bar of Modernity'' (Social Disease, 2007) *''The Girl Who Ate New York'' (East London Press, 2015) *''Le détective'' (Nightjar Press, 2019)

Anthologies

*''Dreams Never End'' (Tindal St Press, 2004) *''The Edgier Waters: Five Years of 3:AM'' (Snow Books, 2006) *''Expletive Deleted'' (Bleak House Books, 2007) *''The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime'' (Robinson Publishing, 2009) *''Bloody Vampires'' (Glasshouse Books, 2010) *''Best British Short Stories'' (Salt, 2012) *''We'll Never Have Paris'' (Repeater Books, 2019)

External links

''Reverse Striptease'' by Andrew Gallix: the "phantom" foreword to ''The Swank Bisexual Wine Bar of Modernity''
* ttp://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/writing-a-rothko-an-interview-with-hp-tinker/ ''Writing a Rothko: An Interview With HP Tinker'' by Chris Killenbr>''Excerpts From The Extraordinary Autobiography of Mister HPT'' by HP Tinker at ''Everyday Genius''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tinker, H. P. Living people 1969 births English short story writers People from Chorlton-cum-Hardy