The Author - Ged Neary

Ged Neary was born in Didsbury, Manchester, England, on 1st March 1946. Educated at St Catherine’s Primary School, St Bede’s College, and the universities of London (Literature and Drama), Birmingham (Applied Linguistics) and Manchester (International Development), he specialized in training teachers of English as a Foreign Language.

But the urge to travel, the urge to write, and the urge to discover mischief, had a strong influence on Ged Neary’s choice of day job, so he was based for years at a stretch in locations ideal for an aspiring author who thrives on exotic characters, exotic behaviour, exotic settings, and exotic plots.

There were day jobs in Germany, Saudi Arabia, the Yemen, Somalia, Kenya, San Francisco, Guatemala, and various provinces in China (as a teacher-training consultant to the British Council and the Chinese Ministry of Education), and the first results in print were two books of comic fiction, On The Fiddle, and How To Be a Tourist.

(promoting On The Fiddle, 1984)

His two latest books, Rice Ticket (2005) and Joint Venture (due out in September 2006), are both set in China. Rice Ticket was runner-up in the 2004 Shorelines fiction competition, and Duty Calls, a story from Joint Venture was broadcast on the BBC World Service in June 1997.

(thinking about Rice Ticket, 2004)

Now, back in England and working freelance at Manchester University, Ged finds he can still milk the day job for comic fiction. Together with his Chinese wife, Amy, Ged co-runs the China Here And There organisation, so far (in 2001, 2003 and 2004) producing three stage plays (Taking A Liberty, The Story of Rainbow, and Lao Wai); a story collection (Finding A Voice, 2004) and, for 2006, a Manchester-Chinese film The Flower Chamber. Writing awards were received from the Arts Council of England, the British Council, North West Playwrights, and North West Vision.