Andrew Michael Hurley Explained

Andrew Michael Hurley (born 1975) is a British writer whose debut novel, The Loney, was published in a limited edition of 350 copies on 1 October 2014 by Tartarus Press[1] [2] and was published under Hodder and Stoughton's John Murray imprint in 2015.[3] He was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Open Book programme "British Gothic" in October 2015.[4]

Early life and education

Hurley was born in 1975[5] in Preston, Lancashire and grew up there, spending holidays in Cumbria and Yorkshire "in the sort of rural, rugged landscapes dotted with smallholdings that he now writes about".[6] He has said that at the aged of ten he was obsessed with Tolkien, and that on family holidays he would look out for books of local ghost stories. He has worked as a teacher and a librarian.

Literary career

Hurley had two volumes of short stories published by Lime Tree Press: Cages and Other Stories (2006) and The Unusual Death of Julie Christie and Other Stories (2008).

His debut novel, The Loney, was reviewed in The Guardian and The Telegraph.[7] [8] [9] It is set in the area of Morecambe Bay in north west England, described in the text as "that strange nowhere between the Wyre and the Lune". Hurley has said that the novel's two starting points were "to write a kind of dark version of the Nativity [...] and exploring ideas of faith and belief" and "various wild, lonely places on the north west coast of Lancashire [...] a sense of imminent menace or dormant power lying just under the sand and the water".[10] He has also described how the landscapes and placenames around Silverdale, further north on Morecambe Bay, influenced his writing.[11] It is the winner of the 2015 Costa Book Award for First Novel[12] as well as the British Book Industry Award for best debut fiction and book of the year.[13]

His second novel, Devil's Day, was published on 19 October 2017 by John Murray [14] and Tartarus Press[15] Its setting, "The Endlands", is based on Langden valley in Lancashire's Forest of Bowland.[16] The book "deploys myth, landscape and the tropes of horror to chilling effect".[17] [18] Hurley was joint winner of the Royal Society of Literature's 2018 Encore Award for best second novel.[19]

Hurley's third novel Starve Acre was published 31 October 2019 by John Murray. The "Starve Acre" of the title is the home of a couple whose child has died, and it is "a novel which grapples with the irrationality and complexity of grief, the power and potency of folklore, and a moving examination of the effect a child's loss can have on its parents".[20] The Guardian critic described it as "an atmospheric tale in the same tradition of English folk-horror" as his previous two books.[21] The film Starve Acre based on the book, was directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, starred Morfydd Clark and Matt Smith, and premiered at the BFI London Film Festival 2023.[22]

His fourth novel, Barrowbeck was published on 24 October 2024 and comprises a collection of tales about the fictional village of Barrowbeck, on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border, across 1,000 years.[23] [24] [25] A series of stories based in Barrowbeck were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2022 under the title Voices in the Valley; readers included Maxine Peake, Reece Shearsmith, Toby Jones, Tamsin Greig and Jessica Raine.[26]

Hurley's story "At the Rising of the Sun" was read by Stephen Campbell Moore in the BBC Radio 4 series Short Works in June 2025.[27]

Personal life

Hurley has been a lecturer in "creative writing (fiction)" at Manchester Metropolitan University since 2016.[28] He lives in the Preston area, having previously lived in London and Manchester.

Awards

YearTitleAwardCategoryResult
2015The LoneyCosta Book AwardsFirst Novel[29]
Waverton Good Read Award—
2016Authors' Club First Novel Award—
British Book Industry AwardsBook of the Year [30]
Debut Fiction
2018Devil's DayEncore Award—[31]

Selected publications

Novels

Collections

Short stories

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley. Tartarus Press. 11 August 2017.
  2. Web site: Authors: Andrew Michael Hurley. Hodder and Stoughton. 15 October 2015. 11 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170811182607/https://www.hodder.co.uk/authors/detail.page?id=hLtAGj1kPPaMJHO/Pq87juDVjnFCtabGjlRfSINiGHyefUL1NIXDBZsexcfkIwCHhw19zg__. dead.
  3. Web site: The Loney. Hodder & Stoughton. 20 November 2015.
  4. Web site: Open Book: British Gothic. Radio 4. BBC. 15 October 2015.
  5. Web site: Andrew Michael Hurley . PLACE 2020-2021 . 23 June 2025 . 21 August 2020.
  6. News: Armstrong . Neil . 'Weird things can happen in the countryside': Britain's creepiest new horror stories . 23 June 2025 . www.bbc.com . 7 November 2024 . en.
  7. News: Perry. Sarah. The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley review – a gothic masterpiece. 15 October 2015. The Guardian. 28 August 2015.
  8. News: Martin. Tim. The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley, review: 'haunted and haunting'. 15 October 2015. The Telegraph. 8 September 2015.
  9. News: Myerson . Julie . The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley review – horror days by the sea . 27 July 2025 . The Guardian . 23 August 2015.
  10. Web site: About the author: Andrew Michael Hurley. Foyles. 15 October 2015.
  11. News: Hurley . Andrew Michael . Andrew Michael Hurley: how the north made The Loney a gothic horror . 23 June 2025 . The Guardian . 19 April 2016.
  12. Web site: 2015 Costa Award Winners . 2016-01-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160107191537/http://www.costa.co.uk/media/391535/2015awardwinners.pdf . 2016-01-07 . dead.
  13. News: Flood. Alison. Debut novel The Loney wins book of the year at British Book Industry awards. 11 August 2017. The Guardian. 9 May 2016.
  14. News: The Bookseller . 2 February 2017 . New Andrew Michael Hurley novel called Devil's Day. Cowdrey . Katherine . 2 October 2017.
  15. News: The Bookseller . 18 August 2017 . Yorkshire indie to publish limited edition of Hurley's next novel. Cowdrey . Katherine . 2 October 2017.
  16. Web site: Andrew Michael Hurley: Devil's Day. New Writing North. 31 May 2019.
  17. News: Apostolides . Zoë . Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley — northern frights . 8 April 2019 . Financial Times . 3 November 2017.
  18. News: Harrison . M. John . Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley review – dark tales from the moors . 8 April 2019 . The Guardian . 26 October 2017.
  19. Web site: The Encore Award 2018 . . 8 April 2019 . May 2018.
  20. News: Film deal for Hurley as John Murray snaps up third novel . 21 August 2019 . The Bookseller . 28 May 2019.
  21. News: The Guardian. Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley review – an atmospheric tale. Merritt. Stephanie. 29 October 2019. 25 November 2019.
  22. News: Bradshaw . Peter . Starve Acre review – intelligent performances in sinister Yorkshire folk horror . 9 November 2023 . The Guardian . 12 October 2023.
  23. Book: Barrowbeck . 6 May 2024 . Hachette. 9781-3998-1748-6 . 24 June 2024 .
  24. News: Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley: Stories with an ominous quality, like a knock at the door on a dark evening . 12 November 2024 . The Irish Times . 26 October 2024 . en.
  25. News: Barrowbeck by Andrew Michael Hurley review – creepy tales from the valley . 12 November 2024 . Big Issue . 12 November 2024.
  26. Web site: Voices in the Valley . BBC Sounds . 23 June 2025.
  27. Web site: Short Works - At the Rising of the Sun by Andrew Michael Hurley . BBC Sounds . 23 June 2025.
  28. Web site: Andrew Michael Hurley . Manchester Metropolitan University . 23 June 2025 . en.
  29. News: Flood . Alison . 2015-11-17 . Costa category awards 2015: tiny presses square up to big hitters . 2025-04-09 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  30. Web site: British Book Industry Awards 2016 winners announced Books+Publishing . 2025-04-09 . en-AU.
  31. Web site: Callaghan . Morgan . 2018-05-09 . Encore Award 2018 – joint winners announced - Royal Society of Literature . 2025-04-09 . en-GB.
  32. Web site: Tartarus Press at 30 . www.tartaruspress.com . 23 June 2025.

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