In Tasmania

Nicholas Shakespeare was born in 1957. The son of a diplomat, much of his youth was spent in the Far East and South America. His novels have been translated into twenty languages. They include The Vision of Elena Silves, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, Snowleg and The Dancer Upstairs, which was chosen by the American Libraries Association in 1997 as the year's best novel, and in 2001 was made into a film of the same name by John Malkovich. His most recent novel is Secrets of the Sea. He is married with two small boys and currently lives in Oxford.

"The narrative is part Peter Carey, part Gothic novel, with plenty of drunkeness, torture,villainy and cannibalism to be aghast at. A fine travel book too" Evening Standard "A fabulous read" Vogue "An excellent portrait of aunique island" Sunday Telegraph "Superb" Guardian "Shakespeare excels at providing psychological insights. An intimate and revealing work only a truly gifted writer could have produced" Independent