A former Edge Hill University PhD student has secured one of the UK's most significant literary accolades, winning the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize for his innovative series of short stories.
A Dazzling and Inventive Winner
Christopher David Rose, known as CD Rose, was announced as the winner at a ceremony in London for his work, We Live Here Now. The author, who completed a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at Edge Hill, described feeling "overwhelmed" by the honour.
"While it was flattering to be on the list, I really didn't think I'd win," Rose said. "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." He expressed hope that the prize would lead more people to read his work and short fiction in general.
The Transformative Power of Mentorship
Rose credits his time at the Lancashire university as transformative, stating it made his approach to reading and writing "more methodical and less haphazard." A crucial figure in his development was his mentor, Professor Ailsa Cox, recognised as the world's first Professor of Short Fiction.
"Ailsa's work, both at Edge Hill and beyond, has been amazing," Rose noted. "Her scholarship, creative output and championing of short fiction have been hugely influential." Professor Cox founded the Edge Hill Short Story Prize in 2006 to champion the art form.
Rose also highlighted the support of other Edge Hill staff, including Rodge Glass and Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing Sarah Schofield. He emphasised that the PhD bursary he received was vital, stating, "That generosity made it all possible."
A Prize for 'Mould-Breaking' Fiction
The Goldsmiths Prize is a nationally important award that specifically celebrates fiction which breaks conventional moulds and embodies a spirit of invention. Rose's winning book, We Live Here Now, centres on the mysterious disappearance of a famous conceptual artist's installation, exploring how the event irrevocably changes twelve connected lives.
The narrative ambitiously spans from the shadowy realms of international weapons dealers to the glittering world of hyper-contemporary art galleries. The judging panel, chaired by novelist and Goldsmiths lecturer Amy Sackville, praised the collection as "dazzling" and "intellectually challenging and supremely entertaining."
Sackville said the book asks "profound questions of the contemporary world and the systems that power it." Born in Manchester and now based in Hebden Bridge, Rose is the author of several other works, including The Biographical Dictionary of Literary Failure and The Blind Accordionist.
