William Boyd, born in Accra, Ghana, in 1952, spent his formative years in West Africa before establishing himself as one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary novelists. His works have achieved global reach, with translations in over thirty languages and sales exceeding two million copies worldwide.

Boyd’s literary career began triumphantly with A Good Man in Africa (1981), securing both the Whitbread Award and Somerset Maugham Prize. This success continued with An Ice Cream War (1982), earning a Booker Prize shortlisting, whilst Brazzaville Beach (1990) claimed the McVitie Prize and James Tait Black Memorial Prize. His acclaimed novel Any Human Heart (2002) won the Prix Jean Monnet and achieved widespread cultural impact through its BAFTA-winning Channel 4 television adaptation.

Recent works include Restless (2006), which earned the Costa Book Award for Novel of the Year, the James Bond novel Solo (2013), and Sweet Caress (2015). Beyond novels, Boyd has published four short story collections and the provocative speculative memoir Nat Tate: an American Artist, which created considerable literary controversy in 1998.

Educated at Gordonstoun School and the universities of Nice, Glasgow, and Oxford, Boyd served as a lecturer in English Literature at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, from 1980 to 1983. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and received the CBE in 2005 for his services to literature.

Boyd’s talents extend into screenwriting, with credits including Chaplin (1992) and adaptations of Evelyn Waugh’s works for television. His theatrical productions include Longing (2013) at Hampstead Theatre and The Argument (2016).

Boyd divides his time between London and South West France, continuing his prolific writing career that has defined four decades of contemporary British literature.