Bio
Chris Barkley’s debut novel, The Man on the Endless Stair was released in summer 2025 and was described in The Times as ‘An eerie, deeply atmospheric tale of hidden treasure and trauma.’ He was appointed Writer in Residence by the Edinburgh Book Festival in 2022 and has won the Oxford University Kellogg Writing Competition as well as the Bedford International Writing Prize. He achieved a distinction on the MSt in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford and, before that, graduated from the Warwick University Writing Programme with a First. He lives in Edinburgh and has led a creative writing course at Yale and guest lectured at Oxford.
Accolades
Shortlisted: The List Award for Best Rising Scottish Author
Polygon bags Chris Barkley's 'thrilling' debut novel
Edinburgh Book Festival Residency 2022
Winner: Kellogg Writing Competition 2021
Winner: Bedford International Competition 2021
Pushcart Prize Nomination 2022