About
Ken Follett, born June 5, 1949, in Cardiff, Wales, is a British novelist. He studied philosophy at University College London and began his career as a journalist before moving into publishing. His breakthrough novel Eye of the Needle (1978) won the 1979 Edgar Award. He is best known for The Pillars of the Earth (1989), a historical epic about the building of a medieval cathedral, which became a worldwide bestseller. He also wrote the Century Trilogy (2010–2014), following five families through 20th-century history. His books have sold over 198 million copies worldwide. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2018 and Officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2019.
* 1949-06-05
Major works
- Eye of the Needle (1978)novel
- The Pillars of the Earth (1989)novel
- Fall of Giants (2010)novel
- Winter of the World (2012)novel
- Edge of Eternity (2014)novel
Key milestones
- 1979Wins the Edgar Award for Best Novel for Eye of the Needle.
- 2018Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to literature and charity.
- 2019Appointed Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France.
Themes
historyadventuresuspensearchitecturefamily saga
Sources: catdir.loc.gov · ken-follett.com · warwick.ac.uk