Lee Rourke (born 1972) is an English writer and literary critic. His books include the

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

collection ''Everyday'', the

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s ''The Canal'' (winner of '' The Guardian’s'' Not the Booker Prize in 2010), ''Vulgar Things'', and ''Glitch'', and the poetry collections ''Varroa Destructor'' and ''Vantablack''.

Career

Rourke is a contributing editor at '' 3:AM Magazine'', has a literary column at the ''

New Humanist ''New Humanist'' is a quarterly magazine, published by Humanists UK and based in London, that focuses on culture, news, philosophy, and science from a sceptical perspective. History ''New Humanist'' has been in print for years, starting out ...

'', and has written regularly for ''The Guardian'', ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'', ''

Bookforum ''Bookforum'' is an American book review magazine devoted to books and the discussion of literature. After announcing that it would cease publication in December 2022, it reported its relaunch under the direction of ''The Nation'' magazine six mo ...

'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', and the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

''. From 2012 to 2014, he was Writer-in-Residence at

Kingston University Kingston University London is a Public university, public research university located within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in South London, South West London, England. Its roots go back to the Kingston Technical Institute, founded ...

, where he later lectured in the MFA Programme in creative writing and critical theory. After leaving Kingston University, he taught creative writing at the

University of East London University of East London (UEL) is a public university located in the London Borough of Newham, London, England, based at three campuses in Stratford, London, Stratford and London Docklands, Docklands, following the opening of University Squar ...

and

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

. He currently lives in

Leigh-on-Sea Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a List of towns in England, town and civil parish within the city of Southend-on-Sea, located in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 22,509. Geograph ...

, England.

Work

Novels

* ''Glitch'' - an unflinching study of grief. * ''Vulgar Things'' - part mystery, part romance, part odyssey novel. * ''The Canal'' - boredom, technology, violence.

Short stories

''Everyday'' is a set of short stories based in the heart of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Poetry

Rourke has published two poetry collections: ''Varroa Destructor'', published in 2013 by 3:AM Press, and ''Vantablack'', published in 2020 by Dostoevsky Wannabe.

Anthologies

Rourke's work has appeared in a number of anthologies, including ''Best British Short Stories 2011'' (ed. Nicholas Royle,

Salt Publishing Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...

, 2011), ''Best European Fiction'' (ed. Aleksandar Hemon,

Dalkey Archive Press Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...

, 2011) and ''The Beat Anthology'' (ed. by Sean McGahey, Blackheath Books, 2010).

Non-Fiction

* ''A Brief History of Fables: From Aesop to Flash Fiction'' is published by

Hesperus Press Hesperus Press is an independent publishing house based in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 2001. The publisher's motto, "Et Remotissima Prope," is a Latin phrase which means "Bringing near what is far". Hesperus Press has published som ...

. * ''Trying To Fit a Number to a Name: The Essex Estuary'' Lee Rourke (author), Tim Burrows (author) is published by Influx Press.

References

External links

Lee Rourke Homepage

Lee Rourke reads from The Canal
on the InDigest podcast {{DEFAULTSORT:Rourke, Lee Living people 21st-century English novelists 1972 births Academics of Kingston University Academics of Middlesex University Academics of the University of East London Writers from London English male novelists 21st-century English male writers