Alan Hollinghurst was born in Stroud in Gloucestershire, England in 1954 and was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. His acclaimed first novel, The Swimming-Pool Library (1988), gives a vivid account of London gay life in the early 1980s through the story of a young aristocrat, William Beckwith, and his involvement with the elderly Lord Nantwich, whose life he saves. It was followed by The Folding Star in 1994, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for fiction).
Spell (1998), a gay comedy of manners which interweaves the complex relationships between 40-something architect Robin Woodfield, his alcoholic lover Justin, and Justin's ex, timid civil servant Alex, who falls in love with Robin's son Danny.
His most recent novel, The Line of Beauty (2004), traces a decade of change and tragedy and won the 2004 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. It is currently being adapted for BBC Television.

Dates:

7 November 2005, Milan (h. 18:00) Introduced by Luigi Sampietro
8 November 2005, Bologna (h. 21:00) Introduced by Andrea Bergamini e Ivan Cotroneo
9 November 2005, Ferrara (h. 16:30) Introduced by Giorgia Sensi
10 November 2005, Rome (h. 18:30) Introduced by Daniele Scalise

Venues:

Milan, British Council, Via Manzoni 38
Bologna, Il Cassero, Via Don Minzoni 18
Ferrara, University -  Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, Via Savonarola 27
Rome, British Council, Via Quattro Fontane 20

Information

Milan, tel. 02 77222220
Bologna, tel. 051 6494416
Ferrara and Rome, tel. 06 47814206