Born to farmers in Warwickshire, England, in 1967, Giles Foden moved to Africa when he was five years old. The family lived in various African countries for about twenty years. One of the countries they lived in was Uganda, the setting for Foden's first novel, The Last King of Scotland. Foden told the online literary magazine Boldtype that he relied upon the "vivid experiences" he gained while traveling with his father to rural African outposts when writing the novel.

For about three years, Foden worked as an assistant editor for the British publication the Times Literary Supplement, and he continues to write for a number of newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian. Upon its publication in 1998, critics hailed The Last King of Scotland as the work of a

bright new literary talent. The novel won several awards, including the 1998 Whitbread First Novel Award, the Somerset Maugham Award...