Fires Which Burned Brightly

'The only dividend of the years' vanishing, as far as I can see, is that it makes aspects of the past appear more interesting or humorous than they felt at the time.'In Fires Which Burned Brightly, Faulks, a reluctant memoirist, invites readers on a series of musings on a steeply changing world: from a post-war childhood - 'cold mutton, beef dripping and wet washing on a rack over the range' - in rural Berkshire, to the boozy heights of '70s Fleet Street, and a career as the author of nineteen acclaimed books including Birdsong. It is infused with a recognition, that only comes with time, of the profoundly formative influence of one's parents and looks askance at how we become who we are. In this wise and wryly funny essay collection, Faulks looks back at a life which encompasses not one, but two, daring escapes from boarding school; the heady delirium of a jetlagged book tour; and countless memorable trips across the channel to France. These reflections give voice to a generation and come to form a tender, insightful portrait of one of our greatest living novelists. Sharply perceptive and peppered with generous wit, Fires Which Burned Brightly is a work of subtle yet profound intelligence and warmth.

Sebastian Faulks has written nineteen books, of which A Week in December and The Fatal Englishman were number one in the Sunday Times bestseller lists. He is best known for Birdsong, part of his French trilogy, and Human Traces, the first in an ongoing Austrian trilogy. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a journalist on national papers. He has also written screenplays and has appeared in small roles on stage. He lives in London.