Joanna Kavenna wrote her first book at 13; inevitably it was appalling. By the age of 24, she had written 7 apparently unpublishable novels, as well as a doctorate. She spent some years trying to make a living by freelance writing, combining this with disastrous stints as an amanuensis. Eventually, exile seemed the best option, so she spent some years living in America, Germany, Scandinavia and France. This habit for nervous travel eventually produced her first published book, The Ice Museum. After finishing The Ice Museum she was living in Paris and London while she wrote Inglorious - her first novel.