Lawrence Norfolk

Barry Lewis (University of Sunderland)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of York), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

Born 1963
Activity 1991-ongoing

Places

Born in England
Active in England

Activities

Primary

Novelist

Resources

Lawrence Norfolk is the author of three works of fiction to date, namely Lemprière’s Dictionary (1991), The Pope’s Rhinoceros (1996) and In the Shape of a Boar (2000). Not much is known about his background. As with the American writer Thomas Pynchon, he has created a certain mystique by giving few interviews in Britain and the United States, his places of birth and residence. He has, however, a higher profile in continental Europe, particularly Germany, where he sells well and has intervened in public debates surrounding the translation of his novels.

Norfolk was born in London in 1963. Two years later, his family moved to Baghdad where his father helped to build bridges. They were evacuated when the 1967 Six Day War broke out between Israel and the Arab states. Back in Britain, Lawrence was...

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2115 words

Citation: Lewis, Barry. "Lawrence Norfolk". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 August 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11863, accessed 09 June 2026.]