Fires Which Burned Brightly : A Life in Progress

A wise and heartfelt piece of writing' THE TIMES`A wonderful portrait of an age, and of a writer' RORY STEWART, author of Politics on the Edge`Utterly fascinating' DAVID KYNASTON, author of A Northern Wind'Shot through with the kind of depth and detail that can only come from a masterful writer finally turning his pen to his own life. Fresh, wise and finely-wrought' ALICE WINN, author of In Memoriam `As charming and funny in schoolboy episodes as he is thought-provoking in the darker environs of mental health, Sebastian Faulks is always resonant, civilised and sane' MARK KNOPFLER ***In Fires Which Burned Brightly, Faulks, a reluctant memoirist, offers readers a series of detailed snapshots from a life in progress. They include a post-war rural childhood - `cold mutton and wet washing on a rack over the range' - the booze-sodden heyday of Fleet Street and a career as one of the country's most acclaimed novelists. There are not one, but two daring escapes from boarding school; the delirium of a jetlagged American book tour; the writing of Birdsong in his brother's house in 1992; and memorable trips across the channel to France. Politics, psychiatry and frustrated ventures into the world of entertainment are analysed with patience and rueful humour. The book is driven by a desire `to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.' It ends with a tribute to Faulks's parents and a sense of how his own generation was shaped by the disruptive power of war and its aftermath. Sharply perceptive and alive with a generous wit, Fires Which Burned Brightly is a work of subtle yet profound intelligence and warmth. PRAISE FOR SEBASTIAN FAULKS'Faulks writes with great emotional authority' SUNDAY TIMES'A prodigiously talented writer' NEW YORK TIMES'Faulks is beyond doubt a master' FINANCIAL TIMES'The most impressive novelist of his generation' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH