Sam Byers
Novelist
About
Sam Byers is a novelist. Often satirical in tone, his work is set in an exaggerated, distorted version of present- day England, with a particular focus on technology, work, and the constraints on idealism and freedom imposed by an increasingly bureaucratic, valueless contemporary society. His first novel, 2013’s Idiopathy, unfolded against the backdrop of a rapidly spreading bovine pandemic. 2018’s Perfidious Albion explored the interrelationship between right-wing politics and a growing corporate digital surveillance culture. His third novel, 2021’s Come Join Our Disease, addressed ideas of radicalism, resistance, madness and bodily decay. Since then he has become increasingly interested in the question of belief, particularly in the context of an era of viral disinformation and fraying consensus.
Sam’s work has been translated into multiple languages, and nominated for a range of awards. His nonfiction has appeared in the Guardian, the New York Times and the Times Literary Supplement. Since 2021 he has regularly reviewed new fiction, primarily for the Guardian.
Alongside his work as a novelist, Sam has spent over twenty years working in the field of community care, both for local government and in the charity sector. He lives in Norwich.