Adam Thorpe was born in Paris in 1956 and brought up in India, Cameroon and Southern England. His first novel, Ulverton was published to great critical acclaim and is considered a modern classic. He has since published nine novels, five collections of poetry and two books of short stories. He has also published new translations of Flaubert and Zola, had a stage play performed almost entirely in Berkshire dialect, and written numerous radio plays. He lives in France and currently teaches classes at the Ecole Superieure des Beaux Arts de Nimea and at the University of Nimes.