"'Perfectly controlled, superbly written. Waterland is original, compelling and narration of the highest order' Guardian 'This beautifully balanced novel describes the arrangements, accommodations, pacts and treaties of our ordinary lives' The Times 'Last Orders confirms his reputation as one of the great contemporary chroniclers of landscape and memory' Observer 'Not a book the reader is likely to forget, Out of this World deserves to be ranked at the forefront of contemporary literature' New York Times Book Review 'Swift's central strength as a writer is his integrity. Story and character are treated with a seriousness and respect that while allowing for the oddity of human behaviour - Shuttlecock is thoroughly and beautifully odd - always honours them' TLS 'Swift's essays display the same quiet intensity as his fiction, a capacity for subtle storytelling with dark emotional undercurrents' Financial Times 'An immensely readable volume. On every page, Swift emerges as a considerable essayist, who upholds the sterling virtue of good writing combined with emotional and intellectual engagement' Evening Standard"

Graham Swift was born in 1949 and is the author of eight acclaimed novels and a collection of short stories; his most recent work is