Christopher David Rose, who completed a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at Edge Hill, said he was “overwhelmed” when his name was announced at the ceremony in London..
“While it was flattering to be on the list, I really didn’t think I’d win.
“When the judge announced my name, I wasn’t sure I’d heard it correctly. Any writer will tell you it’s great to have some recognition, whether that’s one person telling you they enjoyed your work or being awarded a prize.
“I hope it means more people will read my work and short fiction more generally.”
Born in Manchester and now based in Hebden Bridge, Christopher has written several books including The Neva Star, Who’s Who When Everyone Is Someone Else, The Biographical Dictionary of Literary Failure, The Blind Accordionist and the winning novel.
We Live Here Now, centres on the sudden vanishing of a famous conceptual artist’s installation project. The story traces how this disappearance forever changes the lives of the twelve people involved.
The narrative spans diverse and contrasting themes, moving from the dark world of weapons dealers and international shipping to the glamorous, cutting edge of hyper-contemporary art galleries and studios.
The Goldsmiths Prize is a nationally significant prize which celebrates “mould-breaking” works of fiction which “embody the spirit of invention”.
We Live Here Now garnered high praise from the judges, who called it “dazzling” and “intellectually challenging and supremely entertaining”.
Amy Sackville, Chair of Judges and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, said: “A book about what art is and what it does (or doesn’t do), CD Rose’s We Live Here Now in its turn asks profound questions of the contemporary world and the systems that power it, in the aether, deep under the surface, far out at sea.”
Christopher says his time at Edge Hill was transformative for his writing and career: “Edge Hill made my reading and writing more methodical and less haphazard. It really made me take my writing seriously.”
Christopher was mentored by Professor Ailsa Cox, the world’s first Professor of Short Fiction, whose influence he describes as “hugely significant.”. Professor Cox founded the Edge Hill Short Story Prize in 2006 to highlight the intricate artisanship of short story writing and the wealth of publications available.
“Ailsa’s work, both at Edge Hill and beyond, has been amazing, her scholarship, creative output and championing of short fiction have been hugely influential. I was also lucky to work with Rodge Glass, Robert Sheppard, Claire Dean and Sarah Schofield (Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Edge Hill), who have all been brilliant in their own ways.”
Awarded a PhD bursary, Christopher says the support he received at Edge Hill was vital: “That generosity made it all possible,” he said. “Edge Hill really is different. I instantly liked the people and the place, as so different to anywhere else I’ve studied.”
Find out more about studying Creative Writing and English Literature here.
December 3, 2025
