With the 1991 publication of his collection of short stories,

The Quantity Theory of Insanity

, Will Self quickly gained attention as one of Britain's most promising young writers. Since then he has published on average a book a year, has been named one of twenty novelists included in

Granta

's 1993 issue of “Best of Young British Novelists”, has received the 1993 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and been shortlisted for the 1992 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the 2000 Whitbread Novel Award. Self has also received notoriety at times beyond the literary community.

William Woodard Self was born in London on 26 September 1961 and grew up in north London's Hampstead Garden Suburb. His father, Peter Self, was an internationally-recognized professor of urban planning and political science, and a

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Citation: Hayes, M. Hunter. "Will Self". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 November 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4005, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4005 Will Self 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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