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Mark Fryday

Novelist
  • Full member
  • author primarily writing about people in pubs
  • who drink beer
  • East Anglia
  • camra
  • project management
  • interviewing

What is the one thing you'd like to tell visitors to the Guild's website?

I am a novelist, and author of the ‘Tales from the Red Lion’ series of books, which are largely set in a British pub. The books seek to look at areas of contemporary British life through the prism of the pub and those who inhabit it, as well as examining the crucial role the pub has in this country today.

What you can offer as a writer/beer lover?

I wish to tell the tale of the British pub and the beer enjoyed within it on an emotional level. Not only to explain the importance of these places in our society, but why we love them so much, and therefore why we should work to keep them. I could not find fiction that did this job, so decided to write it myself.

What do you like most about being a Guild of Beer Writers member?

Being part of a  community of like-minded individuals, to bring our different experiences and skills together to promote the message of the joy of beer and how great our pubs are.

Pieces of work by Mark:

  • Collapse of the Wave (Tales from the Red Lion part 1)

    Dan is down the pub. Again.
    All he wants is an easy life. London never quite worked out, so he has headed back home again to keep his Dad company now that his Mum has gone. Don’t worry, this all just might be bearable since his favourite pub, The Red Lion, is not only still open but very much the same as ever. So, Dan spends his time down there, resolutely collecting the stories of the people who pass through, so he can block out his own.
    Easy life then? Well, you can’t stop stories from happening to you, no matter how hard you try. And anyway, things never go to plan for Dan.
    Cheers.

  • Another English Civil War (Tales from the Red Lion part 2)

    So where can we find Dan this time? No surprises, he is down the pub again. But who can blame him? It’s been a particularly rough time of late, and The Red Lion sure can be a place of sanctuary when you need to get away from yourself. Well, it would be as long as it actually manages to stay open, and as long as ghosts of the past don’t turn up without warning. At least his friends are still there to get a round in and listen to his problems. If only he could find a way to tell them what they are. The prospect of losing your pub and losing your mind are equally frightening for this drinker. If only something could be done about either. And if only relationships were as simple as ordering a pint. Following on from ‘Collapse of the Wave’, ‘Another English Civil War’ takes another look at contemporary British life through the prism of the pub and the lives of the people who inhabit them.