Fires Which Burned Brightly - A Life in Progress

'A wise and heartfelt piece of writing' THE TIMES<BR><BR>'Witty' INDEPENDENT<BR><BR>'Wry and reflective . . . a soulful look at a life in words' i PAPER<BR><BR>'A wonderful portrait of an age, and of a writer' RORY STEWART, author of Politics on the Edge<BR><BR>'Utterly fascinating' DAVID KYNASTON, author of A Northern Wind<BR><BR>'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 <BR><BR>'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<BR><BR>*** <BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>Sharply perceptive and alive with a generous wit, Fires Which Burned Brightly is a work of subtle yet profound intelligence and warmth.<BR><BR>PRAISE FOR SEBASTIAN FAULKS<BR><BR>'Faulks writes with great emotional authority' SUNDAY TIMES<BR><BR>'A prodigiously talented writer' NEW YORK TIMES<BR><BR>'Faulks is beyond doubt a master' FINANCIAL TIMES<BR><BR>'The most impressive novelist of his generation' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH