Lars Iyer is a British

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

of Indian/Danish parentage. He has published six novels and is best known for the trilogy ''Spurious'' (2011), ''Dogma'' (2012), and ''Exodus'' (2013). He has been shortlisted for the Believer Book Award and the

Goldsmiths Prize The Goldsmiths Prize is a British literary award, founded in 2013 by Goldsmiths, University of London, in association with the ''New Statesman.'' It is awarded annually to a British or Irish piece of fiction that "breaks the mould or extends the ...

. He has also written and published two nonfiction books about

Maurice Blanchot Maurice Blanchot ( ; ; 22 September 1907 – 20 February 2003) was a French writer, philosopher and literary theorist. His work, exploring a philosophy of death alongside poetic theories of meaning and sense, bore significant influence on pos ...

Life

Lars Iyer was born in London in 1970. He is of Indian and Danish parentage. He was brought up in southeast England, in Wokingham, where he returned after completing his undergraduate degree at the Manchester Metropolitan University in 1993. Despite being religiously unaffiliated, Iyer spent seven years living among monks in Patmos, Greece. Iyer is a professor in creative writing at

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

, where he has also taught philosophy. He is also a professor at the European Graduate School.

Writing career

Iyer's short novels, ''Spurious'' (2011), ''Dogma'' (2012), and ''Exodus'' (2013), were all published by Melville House. Together, they make up the 'Lars and W. trilogy', also known as the 'Spurious trilogy', and are based on Iyer’s experience of academic life. ''Spurious'' was shortlisted for the 2011 Believer Book Award. ''Exodus'' was shortlisted for the 2013

. Iyer has since published three more novels, ''Wittgenstein Jr.'' (2014), ''Nietzsche and the Burbs'' (2019), and ''My Weil'' (2023). These make up another trilogy, this time following "a journey through time and place – from the lively nightclubs of Manchester's past to the hollow symbols of aspirational culture and corporate homogeneity: Cambridge and Wokingham". Iyer has published two nonfiction books about

, ''Blanchot’s Communism: Art, Philosophy and the Political'' (2004) and ''Blanchot’s Vigilance: Literature, Phenomenology and the Ethical'' (2005). Iyer has also published many articles on philosophy and culture and a manifesto against literature and manifestos entitled "Nude in your hot tub, facing the abyss (A literary manifesto after the end of Literature and Manifestos)".Lars Iyer,
Nude in your hot tub, facing the abyss
' (A literary manifesto after the end of Literature and Manifestos), ''The White Review'', November 2011

Works

;Fiction *''Spurious'' (2011, Melville House) *''Dogma'' (2012, Melville House) *''Exodus'' (2013, Melville House) *''Wittgenstein Jr'' (2014, Melville House) *''Nietzsche and the Burbs'' (2019, Melville House) *''My Weil'' (2023, Melville House) ;Non-Fiction *''Blanchot's Communism: Art, Philosophy, and the Political'' (2004,

Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains offi ...

) *''Blanchot's Vigilance: Literature, Phenomenology and the Ethical'' (2004, Palgrave Macmillan)

References

External links

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Personal Blog
Living people 21st-century English novelists 1970 births English male novelists 21st-century English male writers Academics of Newcastle University {{UK-novelist-stub