December 21, 2009 12:01

Morrissey previews autobiography with essay relating to Moors Murders

'The Bleak Moor Lies' sees him travel to Saddleworth Moor

Photo Gallery: Morrissey

Morrissey has published a section from his forthcoming autobiography.

An essay by the former Smiths singer entitled 'The Bleak Moor Lies' appears in new book 'The Dark Monarch: Magic & Modernity in British Art', published by Tate St Ives.

The apparently fictional story, which Morrissey has said is taken from his autobiography, concerns a group of friends who travel to Saddleworth Moor in the South Pennines and encounter a ghost.

Saddleworth Moor became infamous in the '60s when serial killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley used the site as a burial ground. As a result, Brady and Hindley were labelled the Moors Murderers, who Morrissey later wrote about the murders in The Smiths' song 'Suffer Little Children'.

In his essay, the singer asks: "How many unfortunates have Saddleworth Moor as their resting place?"

Edited by Michael Bracewell, Martin Clark and Alun Rowlands, the book also includes contributions from Jon Savage and Damien Hirst.

Morrissey has previously said that his autobiography – which doesn't have a release date at present – will span his entire music career.