Bruce Chatwin

1940–1989

English writer whose travel books and novels blend reportage, anecdote and invention. Born in Sheffield, he worked at Sotheby’s in London, becoming an expert in antiquities and Impressionist art, then studied archaeology at Edinburgh before joining The Sunday Times Magazine. In Patagonia (1977) made his name, On the Black Hill won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and The Songlines (1987) explored Aboriginal Australian culture. He died of an AIDS-related illness in Nice in January 1989. Utz, his last book, about a porcelain collector in Cold War Prague, was shortlisted for the 1988 Booker Prize.

Timeline of Bruce Chatwin’s life

Works

Prizes