Adam Nicolson, (born 12 September 1957) is an English author who has written about history, landscape, great literature and the sea. He is also the 5th Baron Carnock, but does not use the title. He is noted for his books ''Sea Room'' (about the

Shiant Isles The Shiant Islands (; gd, Na h-Eileanan Mòra or ) or Shiant Isles are a privately owned island group in the Minch, east of Harris in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. They are southeast of the Isle of Lewis.Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) ''Collins ...

, a group of uninhabited islands in the

Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebri ...

); ''God's Secretaries: The Making of the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of ...

''; ''The Mighty Dead'' (US title:''Why Homer Matters'') exploring the epic Greek poems; ''The Seabird's Cry'' about the disaster afflicting the world's seabirds; ''The Making of Poetry'' on the Romantic Revolution in England in the 1790s; and ''Life Between the Tides'', a boundary-crossing account of the tides in human and animal life.

Biography

Adam Nicolson is the son of writer

Nigel Nicolson Nigel Nicolson (19 January 1917 – 23 September 2004) was an English writer, publisher and politician. Early life and education Nicolson was the second son of writers Sir Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West; he had an elder brother Ben ...

and his wife Philippa Tennyson-d'Eyncourt. He is the grandson of the writers

Vita Sackville-West Victoria Mary, Lady Nicolson, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (Birth name, née Sackville-West; 9 March 1892 – 2 June 1962), usually known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author and garden designer. Sackville-West was a su ...

and Sir

Harold Nicolson Sir Harold George Nicolson (21 November 1886 – 1 May 1968) was a British politician, diplomat, historian, biographer, diarist, novelist, lecturer, journalist, broadcaster, and gardener. His wife was the writer Vita Sackville-West. Early li ...

, and great-grandson of Sir Eustace Tennyson d'Eyncourt and

Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock, (19 September 1849 – 5 November 1928), known as Sir Arthur Nicolson, 11th Baronet, from 1899 to 1916, was a British diplomat and politician during the last quarter of the 19th century to the middle of World ...

. He was educated at Eaton House,

Summer Fields School Summer Fields is a fee-paying boys' independent day and boarding preparatory school in Summertown, Oxford. It was originally called Summerfield and used to have a subsidiary school, Summerfields, St Leonards-on-Sea (known as "Summers mi"). H ...

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

where he was a

King's Scholar A King's Scholar is a foundation scholar (elected on the basis of good academic performance and usually qualifying for reduced fees) of one of certain public schools. These include Eton College; The King's School, Canterbury; The King's School ...

, and

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Ma ...

. He has worked as a journalist and columnist on the ''Sunday Times'', the ''Sunday Telegraph'', the ''Daily Telegraph'', ''National Geographic Magazine'' and ''Granta'', where he is a contributing editor. He is a Fellow 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, ele ...

, the Society of Antiquaries and the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usua ...

. He has made several television series (with Keo Films) and radio series (with Tim Dee, the writer and radio producer) on a variety of subjects including the King James Bible, 17th-century literacy, Crete, Homer, the idea of Arcadia, the untold story of Britain's 20th-century whalers and the future of Atlantic seabirds. Between 2005 and 2009, in partnership with the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

, Nicolson led a project which transformed the surrounding the house and garden at

Sissinghurst Sissinghurst is a small village in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. Originally called ''Milkhouse Street'' (also referred to as ''Mylkehouse''), Sissinghurst changed its name in the 1850s, possibly to avoid association with the sm ...

into a productive mixed farm, growing meat, fruit, cereals and vegetables for the National Trust restaurant. And between 2012 and 2017, together with the

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment th ...

, the EU and SNH, Nicolson and his son Tom were partners in a project to eradicate invasive predators from the Shiant Isles, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. In March 2018, the islands were declared rat-free. In December 2008 he succeeded his cousin

David Nicolson, 4th Baron Carnock David Henry Arthur Nicolson, 4th Baron Carnock (10 July 1920 – 26 December 2008) was a British peer and solicitor. The son of the 3rd Baron Carnock and Hon. Katharine Frederica Albertha Lopes, he was educated at Winchester College and Balliol C ...

, as 5th

Baron Carnock Baron Carnock, of Carnock in the County of Stirling, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1916 for the former Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign Office, Sir Arthur Nicolson, 11th Baronet. The Nicolson famil ...

but he does not use the title.

Personal life

Nicolson met his first wife, the writer Olivia Fane, when he was a student at Cambridge University. They married in 1982, and had sons Thomas (born 1984); William (born 1986); and Ben (born 1988). They were divorced in 1992 and since then he has been married to the writer and gardener

Sarah Raven Sarah Clare Raven (born 1963) is an English gardener, cook and writer. Background Raven was born in Cambridge, the daughter of John Earle Raven (d. 1980), a classics don and Senior Tutor at King's College, Cambridge, and his wife Faith ''née' ...

, with whom he has two daughters: Rosie (born 1993); Molly (born 1996). The family live at Perch Hill Farm Perch Hill Farm
/ref> in Sussex.

Awards and recognition

* 1986 Somerset Maugham Award ''Frontiers'' * 1987 PBFA Topography Prize (winner) ''Wetland'' (with Patrick Sutherland) * 1997

British Press Awards The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. History Established in 1962 by '' The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named ...

Feature Writer of the Year (shortlist) * 1998

British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by '' The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the Nationa ...

Illustrated Book of the Year (shortlist) ''Restoration'' * 2002

Duff Cooper Prize The Duff Cooper Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of history, biography, political science or occasionally poetry, published in English or French. The prize was established in honour of Duff Cooper, a British diplomat, Ca ...

(shortlist) ''Sea Room'' * 2004

Heinemann Award The W. H. Heinemann Award is an award established by William Heinemann who bequeathed funds to the Royal Society of Literature to establish a literary prize, given from 1945 to 2003.Directory of Grants in the Humanities The Heinemann Award is give ...

(winner) ''Power and Glory'' * 2005 Fellow of the

* 2006

Royal United Services Institute The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI, Rusi), registered as Royal United Service Institute for Defence and Security Studies and formerly the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, is a British defence and security think tank ...

Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature The Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature was awarded by the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, (the RUSI), Whitehall, London. Awarded annually from 1997 to 2016, the Medal was given to honour a living a ...

(shortlist) ''Men of Honour'' * 2009

Ondaatje Prize (winner) ''Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History'' * 2009

Samuel Johnson Prize The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its ...

(longlist) ''Sissinghurst: an Unfinished History'' * 2010 Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries * 2014

(longlist) ''The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters'' * 2014

Scottish BAFTA BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televis ...

(winner, Factual Series) ''Britain's Whale Hunters'' * 2015 London Hellenic Prize (shortlist) ''The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters'' * 2017 Richard Jefferies Society Award for Nature Writing (winner) ''The Seabird's Cry'' * 2018 Gomes Lecturer, Emmanuel College, Cambridge * 2018

Wainwright Prize The Wainwright Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of general outdoors, nature and UK-based travel writing. In 2020 it was split into the Wainwright Prize for UK nature writing and the Wainwright Prize for writing on globa ...

(winner) ''The Seabird's Cry'' * 2019

Costa Biography Award The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...

(shortlist) ''The Making of Poetry'' * 2021 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award (longlist) ''The Fearful Summer'' * 2022 Richard Jefferies Society Award for Nature Writing (shortlist) ''the sea is not made of water: Life between the Tides'' * 2022

(longlist) ''the sea is not made of water: Life between the Tides''

Books

* ''The National Trust Book of Long Walks'' (Weidenfeld 1981) * ''Long Walks in France'' (Weidenfeld 1983) * ''Frontiers'' (Weidenfeld 1985) * ''Wetland'' (Michael Joseph 1987) * ''Two Roads to Dodge City'' (Weidenfeld 1988) with Nigel Nicolson * ''Prospects of England'' (Weidenfeld 1990) * ''On Foot: Guided Walks in England, France, and the United States'' (Weidenfeld/Harmony 1990) * ''Restoration: Rebuilding of Windsor Castle'' (Michael Joseph 1997) * ''Regeneration: The Story of the Dome'' (HarperCollins 1999) * ''Perch Hill: A New Life'' (Constable 2000) * ''Mrs Kipling: The Hated Wife'' (Short Books 2001) * ''Sea Room'' (HarperCollins 2001/US edition Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2002) * ''Power and Glory: The Making of the King James Bible'' (US title: ''God's Secretaries'') (HarperCollins 2003) (2011 reissued in UK as ''When God Spoke English'') * ''Seamanship'' (HarperCollins 2004) * ''Men of Honour: Trafalgar and the Making of the English Hero'' (US title: ''Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, and the Battle of Trafalgar)'' (HarperCollins 2005) * ''Earls of Paradise'' (US title: ''Quarrel with the King'') (HarperCollins 2008) * ''Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History'' (HarperCollins 2008/US revised edition Viking 2010) * ''Arcadia: The Dream of Perfection in Renaissance England'' (a revised paperback edition of ''Earls of Paradise'') (HarperCollins 2009) * ''The Smell of Summer Grass'' (an updated edition of ''Perch Hill'') (HarperCollins 2011) * ''The Gentry: Stories of the English'' (HarperCollins 2011) * ''The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters'' (US title Henry Holt: ''Why Homer Matters'') (HarperCollins 2014) * ''The Seabird's Cry: The Life and Loves of Puffins, Gannets and Other Ocean Voyagers'' (HarperCollins 2017) (US Henry Holt: ''The Lives and Loves of the Planet's Great Ocean Voyagers'' (2018)) * ''The Making of Poetry: Coleridge, the Wordsworths and their Year of Marvels'' (HarperCollins 2019/US edition Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2020) * ''The sea is not made of water: Life between the Tides'' (HarperCollins 2021/US edition Farrar, Straus and Giroux ''Life between the Tides'' 2022)

Television

* ''Atlantic Britain'' Channel 4, 2004 * ''Sissinghurst'' BBC 4, 2009 * ''When God Spoke English: The Making of the King James Bible'' BBC 4, 2011 * ''The Century That Wrote Itself'' BBC 4, 2013 * ''Britain's Whale Hunters'' BBC 4, 2014 * ''The Last Seabird Summer?'' BBC 4, 2016

Radio

* ''Homer's Landscapes'' 3 x 45 mins, BBC Radio 3, 2008 * ''A Cretan Spring'' 5 x 15 mins, with Sarah Raven, BBC Radio 3, 2009 * ''Dark Arcadias'' 2 x 45 mins, BBC Radio 3, 2011

References

External links

Author page at Harper Collins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolson, Adam 1957 births Living people British people of Scottish descent British people of Irish descent British people of Spanish descent Carnock, Adam Nicolson, 5th Baron Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature People educated at Eton College Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge People educated at Summer Fields School British columnists British television presenters British male writers Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Male non-fiction writers