William Woodard "Will" Self (born 26 September 1961) is an English author, journalist and television personality.Self is the author of nine novels, five collections of shorter fiction, three novellas and five collections of non-fiction writing, of which his novel Umbrella was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical, and is predominantly set within London. His earliest fiction often dealt with such themes as mental illness, illegal drugs and psychiatry. Self's regular columns for Building Design on the built environment, and for the Independent Magazine on the psychology of place brought him to prominence as a thinker and activist concerned with the politics of urbanity.