A. N. Wilson, one of Britain's most prolific and visible literary figures, has in the past decade attracted much attention as both a novelist and biographer. Wilson's work in both genres demonstrates that he is an erudite, witty, and often provocative writer much interested in literary, political, and religious issues. Indeed, as a biographer, Wilson has shown himself particularly attracted to writers well known for their own intense religious views. He is certainly ambitious. Wilson's Tolstoy: A Biography (1988) and C. S. Lewis: A Biography (1990), his most important works of nonfiction to date, show him willing to look comprehensively--and controversially--at two of the century's most widely studied and influential literary figures.

Andrew Norman Wilson was born in Stone, Staffordshire, on 27 October 1950 to Norman and Jean Dorothy Crowder Wilson; he was the youngest of three children. His father's working career included a stint as managing director of Wedgwoods, the venerable...