Professor Paul Crawford is a British novelist and multi-genre academic author. He is founder and first professor of the global, interdisciplinary field of health humanities. He directs the Centre for Social Futures at the Institute of Mental Health, The University of Nottingham, UK (2013-current). Professor Crawford has written over 200 publications including peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, short papers or commentaries and 16 books.
His first novel, Nothing Purple, Nothing Black (Book Guild, 2002) achieved critical acclaim with fellow writers David Lodge, Roy Porter, Sara Maitland and Paul Sayer; the novel was also optioned for film with award-winning filmmaker Jack Emery until illness curtailed production at The Drama House. He led the creation of a new series of animations What’s Up With Everyone with Academy-award winning Aardman (Wallace & Gromit, etc.) and researched for award-winning filmmaker Chi Thai (e.g. Raging Grace) on her new production, Astronaut.
His second novel, The Wonders of Doctor Bent (Cranthorpe Millner) is out in February 2025.
Advance Reviews for The Wonders of Doctor Bent:
”Brooding, brilliant and beautiful.” – Dave Chawner, author of Weight Expectations, Stand-Up Comedian and Mental Health Campaigner
”Crawford is a master storyteller. The Wonders of Doctor Bent covers deep and dark themes in a compelling and highly engaging manner. Be prepared to be taken on a thrilling adventure that delves into the very essence of what makes us human…” – Professor Ahmed Hankir, Consultant Psychiatrist, and author of The Breakthrough
“A brilliantly written thriller… Paul Crawford draws us into the dire consequences of adverse childhood experiences, trauma, loss, grief and depression. He poignantly reveals the potential for recovery through a humanistic approach to recovery and growth.” – Gene Beresin, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
“A moving tale of loss and love. Jason Hemp breaks down after his perfect brother is murdered and Dr Bent, an imperfect, thrill-seeking, motorcycle-riding healer, fights to transform the humiliating state of the public services. His revolutionary changes are undermined, and he is left wondering what it is all for, and resolves to repair his own dark wounds…” – Kamaldeep Bhui CBE, Professor of Psychiatry, The University of Oxford
”A beautifully written and engaging psychological thriller that will keep you thinking long after the final page. With impeccable prose and a thought-provoking plot, this dark literary thriller not only captivates fans of the genre but also offers profound value to those with lived experience of or an interest in mental health, shedding light on the complexities of compassion and accountability.” – David Crepaz-Keay, Mental Health Foundation
“I loved the book! The Wonders of Doctor Bent is an engaging and entertaining novel. Readers who enjoy the way in which crime writers such as John Harvey and David Belbin have explored the seamier side of the city of Nottingham will very much appreciate Paul Crawford’s work, as will readers who enjoy the social observations of a novelist like Stanley Middleton. The Wonders of Doctor Bent begins like a whodunnit, but soon starts exploring more profound themes about family, companionship, revenge, incarceration, and mental health. Paul Crawford has created two memorable central characters, and draws on his own real-life experience of health humanities and creative practice to draw us into his vividly realised version of life in the contemporary English midlands.” – James Moran, Professor of Modern English and Drama, The University of Nottingham.
“It’s a wonderful, wry, and smart story and features, a protagonist who wanders through the world in the same seemingly aimless way that most of us think we do as well, when in fact we just fail to pay attention to our internal flashlights.” – Steve Schlozman MD, Author of The Zombie Autopsies
Professor Crawford’s literary criticism includes Politics and History in William Golding: The World Turned Upside Down (University of Missouri Press, 2002), which featured in Bloom’s Guides and Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations; and Madness in Post-1945 British and American Fiction (Palgrave, 2010).
His recent non-fiction books include: Florence Nightingale at Home which won Best Achievement in The People’s Book Prize 2022 and was longlisted for the B.S. Hughes Award for science-related writing; Mental Health Literacy and Young People (Emerald, 2022); Cabin Fever: Surviving Lockdown in the Coronavirus Pandemic (Emerald, 2021); The Routledge Companion to Health Humanities (Routledge, 2020); and Humiliation: Mental Health and Public Shame (Emerald, 2019). He is Joint Editor-in-Chief for The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Health Humanities (Springer, New York). He is editor for two book series: Arts for Health (Emerald); Routledge Studies in Literature and Health Humanities (Routledge). His earlier books include: Health Humanities (Palgrave, 2015), now available in Mandarin (Springer Beijing); Evidence-based Health Communication (Open University Press, 2006), Communication in Clinical Settings (Nelson Thornes, 2006), Storytelling in Therapy (Nelson Thornes, 2004); and Evidence Based Research (Open University Press, 2003), Highly Commended in the British Medical Association Book Awards 2002.