A superb new collection of essays from 'the best British author working today' (Joseph Brodsky). Of Tim Parks's most recent collection of essays, Adultery & Other Diversions, The Times said he 'brings a savvy glamour as well as a radiant intelligence to the form...exceptional in its sympathy and graciousness.' The Observer called it 'a smart, beautifully written book...literary essays with all the clarity and sensual detail of great fiction'. In this new collection, Parks turns his attention to classic authors like Dante, Borges and Leopardi, as well as various contemporary writers including Vikram Seth, W. G. Sebald and Salman Rushdie. In Hell and Back Tim Parks reminds us just how exciting the essay form can be.

Author Biography

Tim Parks was educated at Cambridge and Harvard. He has been awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award and the Betty Trask Award. Europa was shortlisted for the 1997 Booker Prize. He is the author of two bestselling works of non-fiction, Italian Neighbour and An Italian Education, and most recently the highly-acclaimed novel Destiny. Also a translator of world class, he has lived in Italy since 1981.