Lawrence Norfolk was born in London in 1963. He read English at King’s College, London, graduating in 1986. He began teaching then became a freelance writer, contributing articles to magazines and journals including the Times Literary Supplement.

His first historical fiction, Lempriere’s Dictionary (1991), was praised by Malcolm Bradbury as ‘one of the finest novels of the Nineties’ [The Modern British Novel 1878-2001]. Itwas followed by The Pope’s Rhinoceros (1996) and In the Shape of a Boar (2000). These three books have been translated into 24 languages.

He is a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and the Budapest Festival Prize for Literature. His books have been shortlisted for the IMPAC Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Award and the Wingate/ Jewish Quarterly Prize for Literature. His latest novel is John Saturnall’s Feast (2012).

He lives in London with his wife and two sons. (From British Council of Literature)