Will Self

This satirical novelist came to public attention and infamy in 1997 when he was sent by the British broadsheet newspaper The Observer to cover the electoral campaign of John Major, and was subsequently fired from the newspaper after taking heroin on the Prime Minister's jet.

Will Self is known for his grotesque and fantastic novels and short stories set in seemingly parallel universes. These include

• Cock and Bull (1992) - the story of a man and woman who swap sexual organs.
• Great Apes (1997) - a man who wakes up in a world where chimpanzees have taken the place of humans.
• How the Dead Live (2000) - an old lady dies, only to be moved to a London suburb where the dead have taken residence.
• Dorian (2002) - a modern take on Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

He has published four books of short stories, Dr. Mukti and Other Tales of Woe, Tough Tough Toys for Tough Tough Boys, Grey Area and The Quantity Theory of Insanity, all of which hint at the influence of authors such as J.G. Ballard and William Burroughs.

Self also has compiled several books of work from his newspaper columns - Junk Mail (1996) and Feeding Frenzy (2001) - which mix interviews with counter-culture figures, restaurant reviews and literary criticism.

He has made several appearances on British television, notably as a contestant on Have I got news for you and a regular on Shooting Stars.

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