Adam Thorpe's first book, Mornings in the Baltic (1988), a poetry collection, was published to critical acclaim and shortlisted for the 1988 Whitbread Award for Poetry. In 1990 Thorpe began writing full-time and since then has produced an impressive and comprehensive body of work, including three additional books of poetry, three novels, three radio plays for BBC, a stage play, and a collection of short stories. Thorpe began his writing career primarily as a poet and enjoys a solid reputation in that field. As a novelist, however, he is proving controversial. His novels are not determined by a rational, prosaic voice but by a poet's voice-sensuous, responsive, and suffused with epiphanic moments.

Adam Thorpe was born in Paris on 5 December 1956 to Sheila Greenlees Thorpe and Bernard Naylor Thorpe. His mother had met his father while she was working for NATO in Paris and he, having served in the Royal Air Force...