Tim Lott

Tim Lott has published ten novels over 35 years, as well as a memoir and a writing guide. His first novel won the Whitbread (now Costa) First Novel award and his memoir is a Penguin Modern Classic. His fiction is wide in scope, stretching from YA fantasy to adult social realism, usually containing elements of both comedy and tragedy. For ten years he was President of the Prince Maurice Prize for Literary Love Stories. He has featured in ‘Best of Granta’ collections.

At the same time, he has been a student of non-dual philosophy, encompassing ideas from Vedantic and Zen disciplines. His pamphlet, The Idler Guide to Eastern Philosophy is published by the Idler magazine and his book, Guru: The Life and Mind of Alan Watts appears on his Substack thread. A second Substack thread deals with the art and practice of writing in general. For many years he was the chief mentor for the Guardian Masterclasses, and continues to maintain a private teaching practice.

Tim divides his time between London, where his teaching practice is based, and the seaside town of Whitstable, Kent which he often shares with his four grown-up daughters. He is twice divorced, and, ironically perhaps, often writes about the nature of relationships between men and women. He is currently working on a sequel to his original memoir, has completed an unsuccessful play, and often stares at his two-thirds completed latest novel with interest. He volunteers at his local library and plays tennis, usually badly.

Audio from Tim Lott