Simon John Edge (born 25 December 1964 in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, England) is a British novelist and journalist. Educated at the King's School, Chester, he went on to receive a master's degree in Philosophy from St Catharine's College, Cambridge and has a master's degree in Creative Writing from City University, where he also taught as a visiting lecturer. He got his first job in journalism at the Middle East business magazine MEED and went on to be the final editor of '' Capital Gay''. He was on staff at the London ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' and joined the '' Daily Express'' in 1999, where he spent many years as a feature writer and theatre critic. He is a former senior contributing editor of ''

Attitude Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value * Metaphysics of presence * Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a prop ...

'' magazine. He is the author of ''With Friends Like These'', a critique of the Left's record on gay rights. Edge has written five novels, all published by Lightning Books. His first novel, ''The Hopkins Conundrum'' (2017), was based on the life of poet

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innova ...

. It was described by ''The Spectator'' as "a pleasurable literary thriller n whichEdge wears his Hopkins learning lightly," and by the ''Daily Express'' as "enjoyable on every level." It was longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award 2017–18. His second novel, ''The Hurtle of Hell'' (2018), was inspired by scientific research into what happens in the brain during a

near-death experience A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound personal experience associated with death or impending death which researchers claim share similar characteristics. When positive, such experiences may encompass a variety of sensations including detac ...

. His third, ''A Right Royal Face-Off'' (2019), is a comic novel based on the life of painter

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists of ...

, and has been described by Gainsborough authority

Hugh Belsey Hugh Graham Belsey, MBE, (born May 1954) is a British art historian who is an authority on the art of Thomas Gainsborough. For 23 years he was the curator of Gainsborough's House in Sudbury. His most recent contribution to Gainsborough scholarsh ...

as "beguiling" and "beautifully managed and brilliantly resolved." His fourth novel, ''Anyone for Edmund?'' (2020), imagines the rediscovery of the body of

Edmund the Martyr Edmund the Martyr (also known as St Edmund or Edmund of East Anglia, died 20 November 869) was king of East Anglia from about 855 until his death. Few historical facts about Edmund are known, as the kingdom of East Anglia was devastated by ...

, England's lost patron saint. The

i (newspaper) The ''i'' is a British national morning paper published in London by Daily Mail and General Trust and distributed across the United Kingdom. It is aimed at "readers and lapsed readers" of all ages and commuters with limited time, and was orig ...

said "Edge's sharp-edged political comedy is guaranteed to have you laughing out loud". His fifth novel, ''The End of the World is Flat'' (2021), was blurbed by

Francis Wheen Francis James Baird Wheen (born 22 January 1957) is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster. Early life and education Wheen was born into an army familyNicholas Wro"A life in writing" ''The Guardian'', 29 August 2009 and educated at two ind ...

as a "bracingly sharp satire on the sleep of reason and the tyranny of twaddle." ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'' called it "nifty, often snort-inducingly funny satire". Edge was married to Ezio Alessandroni, a former Roman Catholic priest, until the latter's death from cancer in March 2017.''Winq'' magazine, Summer 2017, 'A Mass-Going Atheist'.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edge, Simon 1964 births Living people British male journalists British theatre critics People from Chester English gay writers English LGBT writers Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Alumni of City, University of London 20th-century British writers 21st-century British writers 20th-century British male writers