Our archived Contemporary Writers Database provides biographical information on authors living and working in the UK between 2002 and 2024.
The database offers unique critical perspectives and provides a snapshot of early 21st-century contemporary British Literature. You can browse the archive by author initial, genre or British Council projects.
Browse the database
You can access the Contemporary Writers Database through the National Archives.
What is the Contemporary Writers Database Archive?
In 2002, in partnership with BookTrust, we launched the Contemporary Writers Database to promote contemporary literature from the UK and Commonwealth.
At the time, it was one of the few places online to gather biographical information on authors, as well as a critical perspective on their work.
Today, the landscape has changed and information about authors can be readily found online. The maintenance of existing records in the database – as well as the creation of profiles for the many new writers who deserve to be included – is no longer sustainable, and we have therefore decided to close the Writers Database.
Through our work in Literature, we continue to work with partners around the world to showcase contemporary literature from the UK.
We know that the Writers Database provides an invaluable resource to writers, journalists, academics and students, among others. The archiving of the database ensures this snapshot of the literary landscape is preserved and writer profiles can continue to be used as a historical record.
