Peter Crowther (born 4 July 1949) is a British journalist, short story writer, novelist, editor, publisher and anthologist. He is a founder (with Simon Conway) of PS Publishing, which began in 1998. He edits a series of themed anthologies of science fiction short stories published by DAW Books. He is also the editor of Postscripts, an anthology established in 2004, which has since 2012 released the Exotic Gothic series, including Vol. 4 and 5.
Crowther received the 2023 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. He has won a variety of British Fantasy Awards, primarily as editor. He's also a two-time winner of the World Fantasy Special Award—Professional.
Crowther's short stories are generally in the horror or fantasy genre. His first published science fiction was "The Antique Restorer" in Science Fiction Monthly for September 1975. The stories are included in several collections.
Bibliography Series Forever Twilight Book One: Darkness, Darkness (2002)* Book Two: Windows of the Soul (2009)* * significantly expanded into Darkness Falling, The Forever Twilight (2011, Angry Robot)Detailed review by Opionator — retrieved 2013-08-04 –
Standalone novels Escardy Gap (1996) (with James Lovegrove) – After Happily Ever (2000) (with Gillian Roberts) (Cassette) – By Wizard Oak (2011) –
Chapbook form Forest Plains (1996) Fugue on a G-String (1998) The Hand That Feeds (1999) (with James Lovegrove) Gandalph Cohen and the Land at the End of the Working Day (2000) All We Know of Heaven (2001) –
Collections of short stories The Longest Single Note and Other Strange Compositions (1999) – Lonesome Roads (1999) – Cold Comforts (2001) (CDRom) Songs of Leaving (2004) The Spaces Between the Lines (2007) The Land at the End of the Working Day (2008) Jewels in the Dust (2013)Detailed review by Opionator — retrieved 2013-08-04 Things I Didn't Know My Father Knew (2021)
Short stories Blue Christmas (1991) Constant Companion (1992) The Visitor (1992) Fallen Angel (1993) Rustle (1993) Morning Terrors (1994) All We Know of Heaven (1995) Bindlestiff (1995) A Breeze from a Distant Shore (1995) Conundrums to Guess (1995) Home Comforts (1995) The Invasion (1995) Too Short a Death (1995) The Bachelor (1996) The Fairy Trap (1996) Halfway House (1996) Surface Tension (1996) A Worse Place Than Hell (1996) "Boxing Day" (1997) The Killing of Davis-Davis (1997) The Last Vampire (1997) Palindromic (1997) Safe Arrival (1997) Three Plays a Quarter (1997) Tomorrow Eyes (1997) The Unbetrayable Reply (1997) Elmer (1998) Front-Page McGuffin and the Greatest Story Never Told (1998) "The Musician of Bremen, GA" (1998) Some Burial Place, Vast and Dry (1998) Cat On an Old School Roof (1999) The Hand that Feeds (1999) (with James Lovegrove) Late Night Pick-up (1999) Old Delicious Burdens (1999) Setting Free the Daughters of Earth (1999) Shatsi (1999) "Circling the Drain" (2000) Dream a Little Dream for Me... (2000) Songs of Leaving (2000) Bernard Boyce Bennington And the American Dream (2001) "Things I Didn't Know My Father Knew" (2001) "Breathing in Faces" (2002) "Jewels in the Dust" (2004" "The Doorway in Stephenson's Store" (2005) "Thoughtful Breaths" (2006)
Anthologies edited by Crowther Narrow Houses (1992) – Narrow Houses Vol 2: Touch Wood (1993) – Narrow Houses Vol 3: Blue Motel (1994) – Heaven Sent: 18 Glorious Tales of the Angels (1995) – Tombs (1996) – Dante's Disciples (1997) – Destination Unknown (1997) – Tales in Time (1997) – Tales in Space (1998) – Moon Shots (1999) – Foursight (1999) – Taps and Sighs (1999) – Foursight Vol 2: Futures (2000) – Mars Probes (2002) – Foursight Vol 3: Infinities (2002) – Foursight Vol. 4: Cities (2003) – Foursight Vol. 5: Fourbodings (2005) – Constellations (2005) – Forbidden Planets (2006) – We Think, Therefore We Are (2009) –
Literary awards +Year PresentedSocietyAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef1993World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Awards (1993)AnthologyNarrow Houses1998British Fantasy SocietyBFA (1998)Short Story"Even Beggars Would Ride" (with James Lovegrove)2000British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2000)Best CollectionLonesome Roads2000British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2000)Short Fiction"The Hand that Feeds"2001World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Awards (2001)Special – Non-ProPS Publishing2001British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2001)Small PressPS Publishing2002World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Awards (2002)Special – Non-ProPS Publishing2002British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2002)Small PressPS Publishing2002British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2002)AnthologyFutures2003International Horror Guild Awardlong form"Breathing in Faces"2003World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Awards (2003)Special – Non-ProPS Publishing2003British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2003)Small PressPS Publishing2004World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Awards (2004)Special – ProPS Publishing2004British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2004)Small PressPS Publishing2005World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Awards (2005)CollectionSongs of Leaving2005British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2005)Small PressPS Publishing2005British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2005)Small PressPostscripts (with Nick Gevers)2006British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2006)Small PressPS Publishing2006British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2006)AnthologyFourbodings: A Quartet of Uneasy Tales from Four Members of the Macabre2007British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2007)Small PressPS Publishing2008World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Awards (2008)Special – ProPS Publishing2008British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2008)Small PressPS Publishing2008British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2008)Small PressPostscripts2009British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2009)Best Magazine/PeriodicalPostscripts (with Nick Gevers)2010World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Award (2010)Special – ProPS Publishing (with Nicky Crowther)2012British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2012)Special Award(with Nicky Crowther)2012British Fantasy SocietyBFA (2012)Novella"Ghosts with Teeth"2013World Fantasy ConventionWorld Fantasy Awards (2013)Special – ProPS Publishing (with Nicky Crowther)
Other media In the television series Fear Itself, an episode of Season 1 ("Eater") is based on the short story of the same name. The same story had previously been adapted as an episode of the British horror anthology series Urban Gothic.
Cultural references Crowther has been mentioned in Alan Hollinghurst's 2005 novel The Line of Beauty, in the very first lines.
References
External links
Biography from the World Horror Convention
PS Publishing