biography

Richard Milward was born 26th October 1984 in Middlesbrough, England.

In 2007, his debut novel Apples (Faber) was published when Richard was the tender age of twenty-two, to great critical acclaim. Richard's second novel Ten Storey Love Song (Faber) was released in 2009, receiving accolades from such folk as Irvine Welsh ('a major talent') and Lauren Laverne ('astounding'). Both novels have been adapted for the stage: Apples in 2010 by Northern Stage/Company of Angels, and Ten Storey Love Song in 2016 by Middle Child Hull. Both toured extensively and won awards at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Richard's third novel Kimberly's Capital Punishment was published in 2012, picked as a Time Out Book of the Week and heralded by The List as one of the Best Books of 2012. The novel is a sextuple-ended black comedy, following a girl's fated attempts at 'unadulterated altruism' in a nightmarish vision of our nation's Capital.

In March 2023, White Rabbit published Richard’s fourth novel, Man-Eating Typewriter, alongside reissues of his previous three books. The novel received accolades from the Telegraph (‘deserves to be boosted by a prize or two’), the Literary Review (‘a phenomenal achievement’) and the Guardian (‘a genuinely exhilarating entertainment’), and was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2023.

To date, Richard's books have been translated into nine different languages (Dutch, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Romanian, Portuguese, Hebrew, Turkish).

Richard's writing (fiction and non-fiction) has appeared in The Face, Dazed & Confused, The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, Arena, .Cent, Vice, The Quietus, Loops, Le Gun, Bare Bones, It's Nice That, Middlesbrough FC fanzine Fly Me To The Moon and others. He has also written catalogue essays for Damien Hirst, music photographer Kevin Cummins, artist Johannes Albers, illustrator Neal Fox, as well as the liner notes for the Azusa Plane retrospective, Where the Sands Turn to Gold. His occasional excursions in journalism include interviews with the young amateur boxers of Repton ABC and Olympic boxing gold medallist, Luke Campbell. He has also hosted onstage interviews with Irvine Welsh, Miki Berenyi (Lush/Piroshka), Pete ‘Sonic Boom’ Kember (Spacemen 3/Spectrum) and Joel Gion (The Brian Jonestown Massacre).

In 2010, Richard guest-edited the Autumn/Winter edition of .Cent magazine: 'The Intoxication Issue', with contributions from DBC Pierre, Animal Collective, Faust, and many others.

In June 2008, Richard graduated from Byam Shaw at Central St Martins College of Art and Design with a BA degree in Fine Art. He has exhibited his surrealistic, slapdash artwork at Waterstone's bookshops across the UK; The Social and The Amuti Gallery London; Rough Trade Nottingham; Working Class Movement Library Salford; Galerie Quartair in The Hague, Netherlands; as well as mima, The House of Blah Blah and The Tunnel Gallery, Middlesbrough. He also decorated the moveable sets for the Apples stage production.

Richard lives in South Norwood, London. In 2013 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from Teesside University.

an assortment of accolades

Apples nominated for the South Bank Show/Times Breakthrough Award 2008

Ten Storey Love Song chosen as one of Waterstone's New Voices 2009

Ten Storey Love Song chosen as part of New Writing North Read Regional 2009

Writer of the Year, Journal Culture Awards 2009

Bank of Scotland Herald Angel Award for Apples stage production, Edinburgh Fringe 2010

University of Teesside Honorary Graduate, Doctor of Letters 2013

Broadway Baby Bobby Award for Ten Storey Love Song stage production, Edinburgh Fringe 2016

Man-Eating Typewriter shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize 2023