Anthony McGowan

Anthony McGowan is a British writer born in January 1965 in Manchester, England, best known for his books for children and young adults although he has also written adult fiction and nonfiction. He studied Philosophy and earned a PhD, and has written over 40 books across different age groups. His work often explores teenage life, school experiences, and social issues such as poverty and class, frequently combining realism with dark humour.

Some of his most notable books include The Knife That Killed Me (2008), which deals with school violence and peer pressure, Henry Tumour (2006), which won the Booktrust Teenage Prize, Lark (2019), which earned him the Carnegie Medal in 2020, and How to Teach Philosophy to Your Dog (2019), the Truth of Things series (Brock, Pike, Rook, Lark), as well as I Am the Minotaur, a short novel for younger readers, published in 2018, and blends modern school life with elements of Greek mythology. The story follows a boy dealing with bullying, anger, and identity, drawing parallels with the myth of the Minotaur to explore deeper emotional themes.

McGowan grew up in a working-class family in northern England and worked a variety of jobs including nightclub bouncer, journalist, and civil servant before becoming a full-time writer. His personal experiences, particularly challenging school years, have strongly influenced his writing, and he is widely recognized for creating realistic, sometimes gritty stories that give voice to underrepresented working-class characters while blending humour with serious themes.