Matthew De Abaitua
Matthew De Abaitua was born in Ormskirk, Liverpool. He studied English Literature at the University of York and was awarded a British Academy grant to take the Creative Writing master’s degree at the University of East Anglia, studying under Malcolm Bradbury.
After graduating from UEA, he spent six months living and working as ‘amanuensis’ to the novelist Will Self, an experience he recounts in the memoir Self & I. He then joined The Idler as deputy editor and was literary editor of Esquire.
He is the author of three novels, The Red Men, If Then and The Destructives. His memoir and history The Art of Camping was named by The Economist as one of its books of the year.
He lectures on creative writing and science fiction at the University of Essex and lives in Hackney.