Call Me Spud

Fiction

Pages: 192 Ratings:

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In Call Me Spud, Stephen Rowley examines the influence of the violence of the Northern Ireland Troubles and its inevitable repercussions on the human psyche. The novel traces the dramatic consequences of the common brutality which was witnessed during the province’s bloodiest years, and more specifically, the exceptional savagery of West Belfast’s infamous gang of serial killers. This work of fiction follows the daily routine of a police constable engaged in the arduous task of pursuing and eventually capturing the killers.

The impact of their violence results in both individual and collective trauma as the novel moves beyond the immediate geographical boundaries of Northern Ireland to the south of England. The shift in location points to the universality of violence and its aftermath.

Stephen Rowley was born and lived in Belfast until 1972. In Belfast, he attended Annadale Grammar School. After a BA from Essex University (1975), he was awarded a PhD by Manchester University (1979). Stephen’s other degrees are: PGCE in TESOL (London University; Maîtrise (Bordeaux University) and Habilitation (Paris University). He was appointed Professor of English at Artois University (France) in 2008 where he worked as Vice-President (International Affairs) for five years. Stephen was then recruited by the prestigious Sun Yat-sen University, China, as part of the ‘100 Talents Programme’ and became Director of the European Centre there. He edited and wrote an introduction to European Perceptions of China and Perspectives on the Belt and Road Initiative (Brill, 2021) as well as writing more than 60 academic artices published in journals in the UK, US, France, Italy and China, and several works of fiction and poetry.