Tim Lott

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tim Lott is a British author, born on 23 January 1956 in Southall, west London. He graduated from the London School of Economics in 1986, after running his own magazine publishing business.

His first book, the semi-autobiographical The Scent of Dried Roses, was published in 1996 and won the J.R.Ackerley Prize for Autobiography. His next work, White City Blue, was published in 1999 and won that year's Whitbread Award for Best First Novel.

He was also shortlisted in the 'Best Novel' category of the 2002 Whitbread Awards for his work, Rumours of a Hurricane. He has since published "The Love Secrets of Don Juan", "The Seymour Tapes" and "Fearless".

"The Scent of Dried Roses", a memoir of his family and his own life, remains his most acclaimed work. Beginning with the tragedy of his own mother's suicide, his memoir is a rich account. On the broader scale, he paints nuanced pictures of what it means to be middle class, and how the English suburbs developed from the 50s to the 80s. More personally, also describes his own life journey, as he began to move beyond his family's roots, then go through depression and emerge at the other side only to face renewed tragedy, when the mother who had been so caring for him with his own mental illness, takes her own life. He refuses to give easy answers as he tries to understand what has gone on. It is both poignant and sharply observed.

His fiction is similarly well observed, balancing both character led drama with social commentary.

He has also had a weekly column in the London Evening Standard.

Tim Lott lives in North-West London with his wife, Rachael Newberry and their two children, Lydia and Esme. He also has two other daughters, Ruby and Cecilia.