Francis Spufford

1964–

English writer who turned to fiction after a career in non-fiction. Born in Cambridge, the son of the historians Margaret and Peter Spufford, he studied English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. His non-fiction includes I May Be Some Time, which won the Somerset Maugham Award, The Child That Books Built, Backroom Boys, Red Plenty and Unapologetic. His first novel, Golden Hill (2016), won the Costa First Novel Award, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Ondaatje Prize. He teaches writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. Light Perpetual (2021), later winner of the Encore Award, was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.

Timeline of Francis Spufford’s life

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Prizes