Piers Torday author page

Piers Torday biography

Piers Torday is a British author and playwright, born in 1974 in Northumberland. He is the son of novelist Paul Torday, known for *Salmon Fishing in the Yemen*. Raised in a family immersed in literature, Torday developed an early passion for storytelling. He attended Eton College and later studied at the University of Oxford. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked in theatre, television, and live comedy as a producer and writer.

His debut children’s novel, The Last Wild, was published in 2013 and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. The sequel, The Dark Wild (2014), won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. The trilogy concluded with The Wild Beyond (2015), followed by a prequel, The Wild Before (2021). In 2016, Torday completed his father’s unfinished novel, The Death of an Owl, which was published posthumously.

Other notable works include There May Be a Castle (2016), The Lost Magician (2018), and The Frozen Sea (2019). His latest book, Midnight Treasure, was released in 2024 and was named the New Statesman Children’s Book of the Year. Torday’s works have been translated into 14 languages and adapted for the stage.

In addition to his writing, Torday has contributed to various anthologies and publications, including Winter Magic, Scoop, and Return to Wonderland. He has served as a judge for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Costa Book Awards, and the British Book Awards. Torday is also a trustee of The Unicorn Theatre, a patron of Shrewsbury Book Fest, and an artistic associate at Wilton’s Music Hall.

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Book lists featuring Piers Torday