Fires Which Burned Brightly

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