Giles Foden's novels are characterized by his meticulous craftsmanship and careful research. Foden is an editor and writer for the nationally circulated British newspaper The Guardian, and his approach to fiction shares the toughness, pragmatism, and unsentimentality of newspaper journalism. Much of Foden's writing has been about Africa, a subject that continues to inspire him. His first novel achieved widespread acclaim, earning praise for its intelligence and verisimilitude. An outsider's view of Africa, the relationship between beauty and terror, warfare, and the plight of black Africans are major themes in both his fiction and nonfiction works.

Giles William Thomas Foden was born in Warwickshire on 11 January 1967. After the death of his grandfather, which resulted in the sale of the family farm, he moved, aged five, with his family to Malawi. His father, Jonathan Foden, became an agricultural adviser in the Malawian Ministry of Agriculture, and his mother, Mary...