Chris Bell (author)
Encyclopedia
Chris Bell was born Holyhead
, North Wales
in 1960.
After working in the UK and Germany
variously as a writer for and editor
of a music magazine, musician
, record company runner and song lyricist
, in 1996 Bell published The Bumper Book of Lies, a collection of short stories, several of which had previously been published in periodicals including The Third Alternative
, Grotesque, The Heidelberg Review, Transversions, Not One of Us and Takahe. The anthology
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
(10th Annual Edition), which included Bell's story The Cruel Countess, described the collection as 'an impressive debut', while Asimov's Science Fiction http://www.asimovs.com/ said the book was 'highly recommended'. The book came with a 'recommended soundtrack' featuring a diverse list of songs by Frank Zappa
, Steely Dan
and others for listening to while reading the book.
Bell's first novel Liquidambar (2003), a surreal take on film noir
and 1940s pulp
thrillers inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper
, won the 2004 UKA Press international Search for a Great Read competition.
In 2005 Bell edited the 'celebratory booklet' published to coincide with the Russell Hoban
Some-Poasyum, an international convention celebrating the novelist's 80th birthday. The booklet included contributions from a number of Hoban enthusiasts and collaborators including Glenda Jackson
, Andrew Davies
and Sir Harrison Birtwistle.
Bell now lives and works in Auckland
, New Zealand
and is a regular contributor to The New Zealand Blogging Corporation http://www.nzbc.net.nz/.
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
in 1960.
After working in the UK and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
variously as a writer for and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of a music magazine, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record company runner and song lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, in 1996 Bell published The Bumper Book of Lies, a collection of short stories, several of which had previously been published in periodicals including The Third Alternative
The Third Alternative
Black Static, formerly The 3rd Alternative, is an award-winning British horror magazine edited by Andy Cox. The magazine has won the British Fantasy Award for "Best Magazine" while individual stories have won other awards...
, Grotesque, The Heidelberg Review, Transversions, Not One of Us and Takahe. The anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition includes a number of retrospective essays by the editors and others....
(10th Annual Edition), which included Bell's story The Cruel Countess, described the collection as 'an impressive debut', while Asimov's Science Fiction http://www.asimovs.com/ said the book was 'highly recommended'. The book came with a 'recommended soundtrack' featuring a diverse list of songs by Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
and others for listening to while reading the book.
Bell's first novel Liquidambar (2003), a surreal take on film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
and 1940s pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
thrillers inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching...
, won the 2004 UKA Press international Search for a Great Read competition.
In 2005 Bell edited the 'celebratory booklet' published to coincide with the Russell Hoban
Russell Hoban
Russell Conwell Hoban is an American writer, now living in England, of fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magic realism, poetry, and children's books-Biography:...
Some-Poasyum, an international convention celebrating the novelist's 80th birthday. The booklet included contributions from a number of Hoban enthusiasts and collaborators including Glenda Jackson
Glenda Jackson
Glenda May Jackson, CBE is a British Labour Party politician and former actress. She has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and currently represents Hampstead and Kilburn. She previously served as MP for Hampstead and Highgate...
, Andrew Davies
Andrew Davies (writer)
Andrew Wynford Davies is a British author and screenwriter. He was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 2002.-Education and early career:...
and Sir Harrison Birtwistle.
Bell now lives and works in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and is a regular contributor to The New Zealand Blogging Corporation http://www.nzbc.net.nz/.
Publications
- The Bumper Book of Lies (1996) ISBN 3-00-000544-7
- Liquidambar (2003) ISBN 1-905166-35-4
- The Russell Hoban Celebratory Booklet (2005) ISBN 0-907091-88-1