Betty Trask Prize and Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (1991) Winner
Simon Mason
サイモン・メイソン
Saimon Meison
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1962-02-05 （Sheffield, Yorkshire, England）
- Nationality
- British
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Sheffield (birthplace) → Oxford (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Editor, Publishing executive
- Active Years
- 1990-
- Affiliations
- Oxford University Press (worked), Thames and Hudson (worked), Pushkin Press (worked), David Fickling Books (Managing Director 2012–2018), Oxford Brookes University (Fellow of Creative Writing), Exeter College, Oxford (Royal Literary Fund Fellow 2021–2023)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford | English | — | — | — | United Kingdom |
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
English
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Betty Trask Award | The Great English Nude | — | Society of Authors | winner |
| 2003 | Branford Boase Award (shortlisted) | The Quigleys | — | Branford Boase Award | shortlisted |
| 2011 | Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (shortlisted) | Moon Pie | — | The Guardian | shortlisted |
| 2014 | Costa Children's Book Award (shortlisted) | Running Girl | — | Costa Book Awards | shortlisted |
| 2017 | Crimefest Prize for Best Crime Novel for Young Adults | Kid Got Shot (Kid Alone in the US) | ヤングアダルト | Crimefest | winner |
| — | CWA Gold Dagger (shortlisted) | A Killing in November | — | Crime Writers' Association | shortlisted |
| 2022 | Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month | A Killing in November | — | The Sunday Times | selected |
Betty Trask Award
1991
Work:
The Great English Nude
Organization:
Society of Authors
Result:
winner
Branford Boase Award (shortlisted)
2003
Work:
The Quigleys
Organization:
Branford Boase Award
Result:
shortlisted
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (shortlisted)
2011
Work:
Moon Pie
Organization:
The Guardian
Result:
shortlisted
Costa Children's Book Award (shortlisted)
2014
Work:
Running Girl
Organization:
Costa Book Awards
Result:
shortlisted
Crimefest Prize for Best Crime Novel for Young Adults
2017
Work:
Kid Got Shot (Kid Alone in the US)
Category:
ヤングアダルト
Organization:
Crimefest
Result:
winner
CWA Gold Dagger (shortlisted)
Work:
A Killing in November
Organization:
Crime Writers' Association
Result:
shortlisted
Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month
2022
Work:
A Killing in November
Organization:
The Sunday Times
Result:
selected
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Great English Nude
1990 Adult novelPublished in 1990 as an early adult novel, notable for its traditional narrative style and romantic elements.
relationshipsart and family
Translations
- US edition title: 'Portrait of the Artist with My Wife'
Death of a Fantasist
1994 Adult novel, black comedyA novel praised for its crafted comedy that becomes increasingly dark and menacing; humour coexists with a growing sense of unease.
black humouridentitysocial satire
Lives of the Dog-Stranglers
1998 Satirical novelA satire of suburbia in which rumours and fantasy form the characters' images; described as an elegant, savage farce of suburban life.
suburbiarumourfiction vs reality
The Quigleys
2002 Children's fictionFirst in a children's series about a spirited, eccentric family; focuses on family bonds and humour.
familyhumoureveryday adventures
The Quigleys Not for Sale
2004 Children's fictionA sequel in the Quigleys series; follows small troubles and humour around family and community life.
familycommunity
The Quigleys at Large
2004 Children's fictionAnother entry in the series, portraying the family's misadventures with humour.
adventurefamily bonds
The Quigleys in a Spin
2006 Children's fictionA comic entry in the Quigleys series focusing on family chaos and mishaps.
chaoshumour
Moon Pie
2011 Children's / Young adult fictionA story about family, love and loss; follows Martha as she copes with her father's erratic behaviour after her mother's death.
family bondslosscoming of age
Running Girl
2014 Young adult, mysteryA YA murder mystery introducing Garvie Smith, a maths genius with a slacker streak; first in the Garvie Smith series.
whodunitgenius versus everyday life
Kid Got Shot (Kid Alone in the US)
2016 Young adult, thrillerThe second Garvie Smith thriller; a clever, complex and absorbing YA crime novel.
crimeyouthinvestigation
Hey, Sherlock!
2019 Young adult, mysteryThe third Garvie Smith novel, praised for its twists and compelling whodunit structure.
investigationplot twistshumour
A Killing in November
2022 Crime novel, police proceduralThe first DI Ryan Wilkins novel set in New Hinksey (Oxford suburb), featuring a mismatched pair of detectives both named Wilkins.
detective workcommunitycontrasting characters
The Broken Afternoon
2023 Crime novel, police proceduralThe second DI Ryan Wilkins mystery; a four-year-old girl goes missing outside her nursery, triggering a complex investigation.
disappearancechildrencommunity crime
Lost and Never Found
2024 Crime novelThe third in the series; follows the investigation into the high-profile disappearance of a celebrity.
fame and its consequencesinvestigation
Missing Person: Alice
2024 Crime novel (The Finder series)First in the 'Finder' mysteries series; follows investigations into missing people.
missing personstracing individuals
A Voice in the Night
2025 Crime novelThe fourth DI Ryan Wilkins mystery; the plot involves organised shoplifting and the apparently unremarkable death of an elderly man.
organised crimemystery of death
The Dangerous Stranger
2026 Crime novelThe fifth instalment; begins with the violent assault of a boy outside a refugee hotel and evolves into a complex investigation revealing unexpected truths.
violenceimmigration/refugee issuessocial tension
Bibliography
- The Great English Nude
- Death of a Fantasist
- Lives of the Dog-Stranglers
- The Quigleys
- The Quigleys Not for Sale
- The Quigleys at Large
- The Quigleys in a Spin
- Moon Pie
- Running Girl
- Kid Got Shot (Kid Alone in the US)
- Hey, Sherlock!
- A Killing in November
- The Broken Afternoon
- Lost and Never Found
- Missing Person: Alice
- A Voice in the Night
- The Dangerous Stranger
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- humour mixed with black comedytight plotting and clever twistsrealism rooted in contemporary British suburbia and family life
- Recurring Motifs
- family bonds and rupturesthe underside of suburbiaidentity, rumour and imagination
Legacy
A British writer active across children's, young adult and adult fiction. Known for humour, black comedy and tightly plotted narratives, he has been praised for both YA detective series and the DI Ryan Wilkins crime novels. His long publishing career has also influenced editorial and educational practice within the industry.
Academic Societies
- Society of Authors
Archives
- Library of Congress (LCCN: n90686687)
Quotes
-
At the heart of Moon Pie is how love is tested, challenged and threatened, but can ultimately hold families together. Martha is used to managing her father's sometimes erratic behaviour after her mother dies... This is a beautifully told story that is long on affection and short on preaching.
Source: Julia Eccleshare (The Guardian) (2011) -
the most intriguing kind of whodunit
Source: Philip Pullman (2019) -
Simon Mason has reformulated Inspector Morse for the 2020s.
Source: Mark Sanderson (The Times) (2022)
Trivia
- His father was the footballer Cliff Mason.
- Served as Managing Director of David Fickling Books from 2012 to 2018.
- Has been a Fellow of Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes University.
- Was a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Exeter College, Oxford (2021–2023).
- The Great English Nude was published in the US as 'Portrait of the Artist with My Wife'.
- The Quigleys was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award (2003).
- Moon Pie was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (2011).
- Kid Got Shot won Crimefest Prize for Best Crime Novel for Young Adults (2017).