John Murray is an English writer and novelist known for writing satirical novels on a range of subjects. He read Sanskrit at University College, Oxford University. In 1984 he founded the prestigious fiction magazine Panurge, which he edited with fellow author David Almond until 1996. Panurge Publishing published Julia Darling's debut collection of short stories, Bloodlines in 1995. Murray's first novel, Samarkand, was published in 1985 and in 1988 he received the Dylan Thomas Award for his collection of stories, Pleasure. In 2002 his novel John Dory won a Lakeland Book of the Year Award, and his book Jazz Etc was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2003. His 2004 novel, Murphy's Favourite Channels, was a "Novel of the Week" in The Daily Telegraph. He has also published several other critically acclaimed novels including, Kin, Reiver Blues, Radio Activity, The Legend of Liz and Joe and A Gentleman's Relish. Murray has been a regular fiction tutor at The Arvon Foundation since 1989 and every summer since 1995 he has led a creative writing workshop at Madingley Hall, Cambridge. He currently lives in Brampton, near Carlisle. 

January 1st, 1950 in Cleator Moor (Age 74)