Colin Thubron
British travel writer and novelist of Russia, China, Central Asia and the Silk Road.
At a glance
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- Colin Thubron is a British travel writer and novelist.
- His travel books began with the Middle East (Mirror to Damascus, 1967) and moved to the Soviet Union, China and Central Asia: Among the Russians, Behind the Wall, The Lost Heart of Asia, In Siberia, Shadow of the Silk Road and The Amur River (2021).
- He has also written eight novels.
- He was President of the Royal Society of Literature from 2009 to 2017 and was made CBE in 2007.
Key facts
- Born
- 14 June 1939, London1
- Education
- Eton College1
- First travel book
- Mirror to Damascus (1967)1
- Travel books
- Among the Russians (1983); Behind the Wall (1987); The Lost Heart of Asia (1994); In Siberia (1999); Shadow of the Silk Road (2006); To a Mountain in Tibet (2011); The Amur River: Between Russia and China (2021)1
- Novels
- Eight, including Emperor (1978), A Cruel Madness (1984), To the Last City (2002, Booker long list) and Night of Fire (2016)1
- Royal Society of Literature
- President from 2009 to 20171
- Honours
- CBE (2007); Hawthornden Prize and Thomas Cook Travel Book Award for Behind the Wall (1988); Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year for The Amur River (2021)1
Links
Sources
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