Niall Griffiths

Niall Griffiths

 Niall Griffiths

Niall Griffiths was born in Liverpool in 1966 - a city with historical associations with north Wales. After studying English at Cambridge, and periods in several cities across Britain, he moved to Aberystwyth in west Wales where he now lives. He burst on to the literary scene in 2000 with Grits (Jonathan Cape), a ferocious novel narrated through a revolving series of vernacular voices. The novel has been adapted for television. Sheepshagger (Jonathan Cape) followed in 2001, and in many ways, was a sharpening of focus, confirming Griffiths's reputation as a serious novelist. His third novel, Kelly and Victor (Jonathan Cape) appeared in 2002, and then Stump in 2003 (Jonathan Cape) which won the Welsh Books Council Book of the Year and the Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year Award. His later novels include Wreckage (2005, Jonathan Cape), Runt (2007, Jonathan Cape) and A Great Big Shining Star (2013, Jonathan Cape). His latest novel, Broken Ghost (2019, Jonathan Cape) tackles themes of austerity and social breakdown, was selected to our Bookcase in 2019 and won the Rhys Davies Fiction Award and Wales Book of the Year Award in 2020.

In 2010, his book, In The Dreams of Max and Ronnie was published, a retelling of The Dream of Rhonabwy as part of Seren's 'New Stories from the Mabinogion' series. Griffiths first collection of poetry 'Red Roar: 20 Years of Words' was published by Wrecking Ball Press in 2015. He is also the author of two travel guides of Aberystwyth and Liverpool, as well as the book Ten Pound Pom (2011, Parthian), a part memoir, part travelogue about Australia.

Watch Niall discuss and read from his book, Broken Ghost, here.