Biography
Author of the epic Kingsbridge series, Ken Follett is the bestselling author of thriller and historical fiction that have sold more than 195 million copies worldwide. Born in Wales in 1949 to Plymouth Brethren parents, Follett was forbidden from watching films and the television as a child and instead developed an early interest in reading. Despite this, he was an indifferent student, and it wasn’t until he moved to London with his parents when he was 10 that he started to take an interest in his studies.
In 1967 he attended University College London to study philosophy, and completed a journalism course after graduating in 1970. After working as a reporter for almost a decade, he became managing director of a small publisher, and started writing fiction at the weekends as a way to earn some extra money.
He published several books before he found success with the thriller Eye Of The Needle in 1978. An international bestseller, it sold more than 10 million copies. All of Follett’s subsequent novels were bestsellers, with several being adapted to film, and in 1989 he surprised his fans with his first non-thriller novel: The Pillars Of The Earth. The first in the historical, multigenerational Kingsbridge series, it follows the destinies of the families of Kingsbridge from the 12th to the 18th century.
Whether writing thrillers or historical fiction, Follett’s novels offer readers intricate plots, compelling characters, authentic details and epic world-building; the perfect immersive reading experience.
