Christopher Fowler, best known for his Bryant and May series, has passed away at age 69, as reported by The Guardian. He was diagnosed with cancer three years ago.
Twitter is full of tributes to the late author, including from his late husband, Pete, and authors including (but not limited to) Val McDermid, Joanne Harris, and Mark Chadbourn.
Christopher Fowler was born in Greenwich, London in 1953. His career spanned over 30 years and he earned a reputation as one of the most versatile and original writers of his generation.
Fowler’s writing career began in the 1970s when he started writing for magazines such as The Face and Time Out. He then went on to work as a copywriter and scriptwriter before publishing his first novel, Roofworld, in 1988. He published over 40 books, including the popular Bryant and May detective series.
The Bryant and May series, which follows the adventures of two elderly detectives working for the Peculiar Crimes Unit, has been praised for its inventive plots, witty dialogue, and richly-drawn characters. The series has won numerous awards, including the CWA Dagger in the Library Award, and has been translated into over 20 languages.
In addition to his fiction work, Fowler also wrote extensively on film, music, and popular culture. He has contributed articles to a wide range of publications, including The Independent, The Guardian, and Empire magazine.
He also kept a blog where he made a final post, aptly named The Last Post. He wrote, “It was when I realised I could not handle short staircases that my future became apparent. My muscles had wasted away. I suddenly looked like my grandfather. Physical deterioration, accompanied by mental fog. As the illness increased its invasive speed I could no longer keep my head clear enough to work. I needed the time I had left to try and finish a short story, but even that is now in danger of remaining unfinished.”
The final words he wrote were, “It’s very hard to write now without falling asleep or forgetting what I was going to say. If there’s something I really need to get out I’ll put it on Twitter. So you might want to check your old @peculiar feed once in a while. All fun things have to come to an end. I love you all. Except for that horrible old troll – are there any other kind? There, now you have a smidgen of extra time on your hands, go have fun … and read a book.”