Colin Gerald Dryden Thubron,

FRAS FRAS may refer to: * Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger ...

(born 14 June 1939) is a British travel writer and novelist. In 2008, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its s ...

'' ranked him among the 50 greatest postwar British writers. He is a contributor to ''The

New York Review of Books New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

'',
New York Review of Books, ''

'', ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...

'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Thubron was appointed a CBE in the

2007 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2007 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

. He is a Fellow and, between 2009 and 2017, was President of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...

Early years

Thubron is the son of Brigadier Gerald Thubron and of Evelyn (née Dryden), a

collateral descendant A lineal descendant, in legal usage, is a blood relative in the direct line of descent – the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc. of a person. In a legal procedure sense, lineal descent refers to the acquisition of estate by in ...

of the poet

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the p ...

and of

Samuel Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph ...

, inventor of the

Morse Code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one ...

. He was born in London and educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

. Before becoming a writer he worked for five years in publishing in London and New York City, and made independent documentary films that were shown on

BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 1 ...

. He is married to the

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

scholar Margreta de Grazia.

The Middle East

Thubron's first travel book, ''Mirror to Damascus'', was published in 1967, the first such book on the city for a century. It was followed the next year by ''The Hills of Adonis: A Quest in Lebanon'', a lyrical account of a journey through the country, pre-civil war, and the next year by ''Jerusalem.'' While starting a parallel career as a novelist, he completed a travel book on Cyprus, ''Journey into Cyprus'', in 1974, just before Turkey invaded the island.

Russia and the Far East

In 1981, during the Brezhnev era, Thubron broke with his earlier work (on cities and small countries) and travelled by car into the Soviet Union, a journey recorded in ''Among the Russians''. This was followed in 1987 by ''Behind the Wall: A Journey Through China ''(winner of the

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award that was established in 1919 by Alice Warrender, who was born at Hawthornden Castle. Authors under the age of 41 are awarded on the quality of their "imaginative literature", which can be written ...

Hawthornden Prize and the

Thomas Cook Travel Book Award The Thomas Cook Travel Book Award originated as an initiative of Thomas Cook AG in 1980, with the aim of encouraging and rewarding the art of literary travel writing. The awards stopped in 2005 (2004 being the last year an award was given). As of ...

), Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and in 1994 by ''The Lost Heart of Asia'', the record of a journey through the newly independent nations of Central Asia. In 1999 came '' In Siberia''
In Siberia(Prix Bouvier, France), an exploration of the farthest reaches of the ex-Soviet Union, and in 2007, ''Shadow of the Silk Road'', which describes a 7,000-mile journey from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

to the Mediterranean encompassing cultures that Thubron has been obsessed with: Islam, China, the former Soviet Union, Central Asia,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is border ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Tu ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

.
(Prix Bouvier, France), Independent review: Shadow of the Silk Road.. His latest work is "The Amur River: Between Russia and China".

Writing

Most of Thubron's novels are notably different from his travel books. Several describe settings of enforced immobility: a psychiatric hospital, a prison, an amnesiac's mind. Notable among them are ''Emperor'' (1978), a study of the conversion of Emperor Constantine, Constantine, ''A Cruel Madness'' (winner of the PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award),
Silver Pen Award. and ''Falling'' (1989). Others, however, use travel or a fictional abroad: ''Turning Back the Sun'' (1991) and an imaginary journey to

Vilcabamba, Peru Vilcabamba (in Hispanicized spelling), Willkapampa ( Aymara and Quechua) is often called the Lost City of the Incas. Vilcabamba means "sacred plain" in Quechua. The modern name for the Inca ruins of Vilcabamba is Espiritu Pampa (Plain of the Sp ...

in ''To the Last City ''(2002), long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. It has been described as a "''

Heart of Darkness ''Heart of Darkness'' (1899) is a novella by Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgian company in the African interior. The nov ...

'' narrative" in a " Marquezian setting". His most recent novel, ''Night of Fire'', is his most ambitious: a multi-layered study of time and memory, which several reviewers named his masterpiece. Thubron says that he was influenced by '' Palgrave's Golden Treasury'' as a schoolboy, and was initially inspired by the travel writing of

Patrick Leigh Fermor Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor (11 February 1915 – 10 June 2011) was an English writer, scholar, soldier and polyglot. He played a prominent role in the Cretan resistance during the Second World War, and was widely seen as Britain's greate ...

Jan Morris (Catharine) Jan MorrisJan Morris, Paul Clements, University of Wales Press, 2008, p. 7 (born James Humphry Morris; 2 October 192620 November 2020) was a Welsh historian, author and travel writer. She was known particularly for the '' Pax Brit ...

and

Freya Stark Dame Freya Madeline Stark (31 January 18939 May 1993), was a British-Italian explorer and travel writer. She wrote more than two dozen books on her travels in the Middle East and Afghanistan as well as several autobiographical works and essays ...

. He admires the English novelist

William Golding Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel ''Lord of the Flies'' (1954), he published another twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 1980 ...

and chose

Victor Gollancz Sir Victor Gollancz (; 9 April 1893 – 8 February 1967) was a British publisher and humanitarian. Gollancz was known as a supporter of left-wing causes. His loyalties shifted between liberalism and communism, but he defined himself as a Chris ...

's anthology '' A Year of Grace'' as his book for ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...

''.Desert Island Discs archive
BBC Radio – Desert Island Discs microsite

Travel Writing

*''Mirror to Damascus'' –

Heinemann Heinemann may refer to: * Heinemann (surname) * Heinemann (publisher), a publishing company * Heinemann Park, a.k.a. Pelican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States See also * Heineman * Jamie Hyneman James Franklin Hyneman (born Se ...

, 1967 *''The Hills of Adonis: A Quest in Lebanon'' – Heinemann, 1968 *''Jerusalem'' – Heinemann, 1969 *''Journey into Cyprus'' – Heinemann, 1975 * ''Jerusalem'' – Time-Life, 1976 *''Istanbul'' – Time-Life, 1978 *''The Venetians'' – Time-Life, 1980 *''The Ancient Mariners'' – Time-Life, 1981 *''The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden'' –

Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half- Scot half- American Jamie Hamilton (''Hamish'' is the vocative form of the Gaelic Seumas eaning James ''James'' the English form – which ...

, 1982 *''Among the Russians'' – Heinemann, 1983 *''Where Nights Are Longest: Travels by Car Through Western Russia'' – Atlantic Monthly Press, 1984 *''Behind the Wall: A Journey through China'' – Heinemann, 1987 *
The Silk Road: Beyond the Celestial Kingdom
' –

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

, 1989 *''The Lost Heart of Asia'' – Heinemann, 1994 *'' In Siberia'' –

Chatto & Windus Chatto & Windus is an imprint of Penguin Random House that was formerly an independent book publishing company founded in London in 1855 by John Camden Hotten. Following Hotten's death, the firm would reorganize under the names of his business ...

, 1999 *''Shadow of the Silk Road'', Chatto & Windus, 2006 * To a Mountain in Tibet, Chatto & Windus, 2011 * The Amur River: Between Russia and China'', Chatto & Windus, 2021 Forewords: *''Views from Abroad: The Spectator Book of Travel Writing'', edited by Philip Marsden-Smedley & Jeffrey Klinke – Grafton, 1988 *''The Lycian Shore'' by Freya Stark – John Murray, 2002 *''

The Road to Oxiana ''The Road to Oxiana'' is a travelogue by the explorer Robert Byron, first published in 1937. It documents Byron's travels around Persia and Afghanistan, and is considered one of the most influential travel books of the 1930s. The word " Oxiana ...

'' by Robert Byron – Penguin, 2007 *''Stalin's Nose'' – by Rory MacLean – Tauris Parke, 2008 *''The Travels of Marco Polo'' – Everyman, 2008

Novels

*''The God in the Mountain ''- Heinemann, 1977 *''Emperor'' – Heinemann, 1978 *''A Cruel Madness'' – Heinemann, 1984 *''Falling'' – Heinemann, 1989 *''Turning Back the Sun'' – Heinemann, 1991 *''Distance'' – Heinemann, 1996 *''To the Last City'' – Chatto & Windus, 2002 *'' Night of Fire'' - Chatto & Windus, 2016

Radio adaptations, stage and television

*''Emperor'' - BBC Radio 4, September 1984, with Martin Jarvis as Constantine and

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actor of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leadin ...

as Fausta. *''Great Journeys: The Silk Road'' – BBC 2 Television, presenter, 1989 *''The Prince of the Pagodas'' - ballet scenario, the Royal Opera House, 1989, choreographed by

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...

*''A Cruel Madness'' – BBC Radio 4, May 1992, with

Robert Glenister Robert Lewis Glenister (born 11 March 1960 in Watford, Hertfordshire) is an English actor. The son of the television director John Glenister and the older brother of actor Philip Glenister, his roles include con man Ash "Three Socks" Morgan ...

as Pashley and

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 20 ...

as Sophia *''The South Bank Show – Time seen as a Road'', on Colin Thubron, ITV television, 1992

Prizes and awards

*1967 Book Society Choice, ''Mirror to Damascus'' *1969 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature *1985 PEN/Macmillan Silver Pen Award, ''A Cruel Madness'' *1988

, ''Behind the Wall: A journey through China'' *1988

, ''Behind the Wall: A Journey through China'' *1991 Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society *2000 Mungo Park Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society , Royal Scottish Geographical Society. *2001 Lawrence of Arabia Memorial Medal of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Royal Society for Asian Affairs. *2002 Hon.D Lit

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

Warwick University *2003-9 Vice-President, The Royal Society of Literature *2007 Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), New Year's Honours *2008 Society of Authors Travel Award *2009–2017 President, The Royal Society of Literature *2010 Prix Bouvier, France, ''In Siberia''
Prix Nicholas Bouvier *2011 Ness Award of the Royal Geographical Society *2014 International Prize, Spanish Geographical Society *2019 Edward Stanford Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing Award *2020 RSL Companion of Literature *2021 Il Premio Chatwin, Italy *2021 Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year: ''The Amur River''

References

External links

Thubron author page and archive
from ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'' * Susan Bassnett: ''Interview with Colin Thubron, ''Studies in Travel Writing, No 3, 1999 *Interview: ''The Guardian'': https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/sep/23/travel.travelbooks *Overview:

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

: https://web.archive.org/web/20131113194125/http://literature.britishcouncil.org/colin-thubron *Interview: ''The Independent'': https://web.archive.org/web/20121105020336/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5039074.html *Interview:http://www.bookrags.com/ColinThubron – United States *''The Cambridge Companion to Travel Writing'' ed. Hulme and Youngs, CUP, 2002, pp. 95–6 *Interview: ''The Sunday Times'': http://www.accessinterviews.com/interviews/detail/colin-thubron/4256 *''The New York Review of Books: The Amazing Wanderer'': http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2007/dec/20/the-amazing-wanderer/ *Review: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/books/review/Adams.html *''The Times'': http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3127347.ece *Interview: 'The Geographical Magazine'': https://web.archive.org/web/20100201172301/http://www.geographical.co.uk/Magazine/People/Colin_Thubron_-_May_2007.html
Debrett's People of Today
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thubron, Colin 1939 births Writers from London Living people People educated at Eton College 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists English travel writers Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Presidents of the Royal Society of Literature Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English male novelists 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English male writers English male non-fiction writers