All at the Prize were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Laura Fish. Laura’s death has come just days before the release of her third novel, Lying Perfectly Still, which won the SI Readers’ Choice award at the 2022 SI Leeds Literary Prize.
Isabelle Kenyon, Laura’s publisher at Fly on the Wall Press, said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Laura’s partner, Michael Wild, and her family at this terrible time. It has come as an awful shock, having worked so closely with Laura over the last year since we agreed to publish her third novel. Just days before the release of that powerful and beautiful story, Lying Perfectly Still, it is deeply sad to know that she will not see this important project come to completion. With a voice of great literary quality, integrity and generosity, Laura’s work has lifted underrepresented and marginalised voices, with empathy and respect for their stories. She had hugely important things to say and I intend to make sure her voice remains present. Fly on the Wall authors are like a family to me and to lose Laura is devastating. I know her death will come as a shock to all of them, to the book community in the North and beyond, and to all
her friends among the staff at Northumbria University where she worked.”
Tony Williams, Professor of Creative Writing at Northumbria University added: “Laura has been
a valued colleague at Northumbria for many years, and her death comes as a terrible shock to
colleagues and students. She was an original and ambitious writer whose new novel took forward
her exploration of race and identity. We’re thinking of her family and friends at this awful time.”
Clare Malcolm, founder and Chief Executive of New Writing North said: “Laura cared deeply about injustice and believed strongly in the ways writing, storytelling, dance and art can give a voice to the unheard. The world has lost an important writer, we have lost a warm and wise colleague, and international literature has lost a great ambassador.”
Lying Perfectly Still will be published on 24th October 2024. This important and beautifully written novel gives voice to the women of Eswatini in southern Africa, ravaged by the AIDS epidemic of the late twentieth century. The story is told through the eyes of Koliwe, a troubled young woman of mixed-race heritage, searching for her African roots, while overwhelmed by the devastation of the country she finds and the inadequacy and corruption at the heart of the aid community for which she works.
Dr. Laura Fish’s Literary Legacy:
- Lying Perfectly Still is Dr. Fish’s third novel and was awarded the SI Leeds Readers’ Choice in
2022, also placing third in the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2022. - Her previous works include: Strange Music (Jonathan Cape 2008; Vintage 2009) – Women’s Prize listed 2009, International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award nominated 2009, and featured in Pearson
- Edexcel’s Black British Writing A-level reading guide 2017/18. Flight of Black Swans; (Duckworth 1995) – Critically acclaimed with favourable reviews in The Guardian, Evening Standard, and Times Literary Supplement.
We remain committed to celebrating Dr. Laura Fish’s work and ensuring her powerful voice continues to resonate with readers around the globe. We will be taking part in an event in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to celebrate Laura’s life and work on Saturday 26 October 2024. Tickets are free and can be booked here.
Laura’s partner Michael is raising money in her memory to help children in Eswatini – formerly Swaziland. Laura was in the country in the ‘90s during the AIDS epidemic and saw the impact it had upon women and families. In her writing, she gave them a voice, treating their stories with empathy and respect. You can donate here.
