Talent and creative energy find many forms of expression, especially in the arts. Dirk Bogarde has demonstrated an abundance of both, first as an art student, then as an actor on the stage and in films. With some sixty film credits in a little over thirty years, Bogarde is one of Britain's most versatile and popular actors. His long and successful film career has not, however, exhausted his creative energy; his talents have found a new medium of expression, writing. Following his two autobiographical books, A Postillion Struck by Lightning (1977) and Snakes and Ladders (1978), Bogarde's first novel, A Gentle Occupation, was published in the spring of 1980. His second novel, Voices in the Garden, appeared in September 1981. Both novels have received mixed, but generally favorable, reviews that praise Bogarde's characterization.

Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven Van den Bogaerde (the author's full name) was born on 28 March 1921 in the London...