William Woodard Self (born 26 September 1961) is an English writer, journalist, political commentator and broadcaster. He has written 11 novels, five collections of shorter fiction, three novellas and nine collections of non-fiction writing. Self is currently an honorary Professor at Brunel University London, where his interests include psychogeography.
His 2002 novel Dorian, an Imitation was longlisted for the Booker Prize, and his 2012 novel Umbrella was shortlisted. His fiction is known for being satirical, grotesque and fantastical, and is predominantly set within his home city of London. His writing often explores mental illness, drug abuse and psychiatry.
Books in order of publication:
Novels
Cock and Bull (1992)
My Idea of Fun (1993)
The Sweet Smell of Psychosis (illustrated novella) (1996)
Great Apes (1997)
How the Dead Live (2000)
Dorian, an Imitation (2002)
The Book of Dave (2006)
The Butt (2008)
Walking to Hollywood (2010)
Umbrella (2012)
Shark (2014)
Phone (2017)
Elaine (2024)
The Quantity Theory of Morality (2026)
Short story collections
The Quantity Theory of Insanity (1991)
Grey Area (1994)
Tough, Tough Toys for Tough, Tough Boys (1998)
Dr. Mukti and Other Tales of Woe (2004)
Liver: A Fictional Organ with a Surface Anatomy of Four Lobes (2008)
The Undivided Self: Selected Stories (2010)
Non-fiction
Self has also compiled several books of work from his newspaper and magazine columns which mix interviews with counter-culture figures, restaurant reviews and literary criticism.
Junk Mail (1996)
Perfidious Man (2000) photography by David M. Gamble
Sore Sites (2000)
Feeding Frenzy (2001)
Psychogeography (2007)
Psycho Too (2009)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Prawn Cracker (2012)
Will (2019)
Why Read: Selected Writings 2001–2021 (2022)
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