Roland Vernon is an English writer. He has published novels, biographies of musicians, and ''Star in the East'', a biography of the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. His

début novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

was ''A Dark Enchantment''. His second novel, ''The Maestro’s Voice'', was published in 2010, and a third novel, ''The Good Wife's Castle,'' in April 2012

Biography

Roland Vernon was born on 1 February 1961 to an English mother and an Italian father (who has played no part in his life, but is a distinguished writer and businessman). He was fostered until the age of eight, after which he went to live with his mother in

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. His subsequent childhood homes were in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

and

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

, where his stepfather, Jeremy Peake (a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

clergyman), was posted. He went to

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

(where he was a choral scholar), and the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...

. After graduating, with a degree in history of art, Roland Vernon trained as an opera singer and for a short while pursued a career as a professional singer. This was followed by two years as a manager at

Nimbus Records Nimbus Records is a British record company based at Wyastone Leys, Ganarew, Herefordshire. They specialise in classical music recordings and were the first company in the UK to produce compact discs. Description Nimbus was founded in 1972 by ...

. In 1991 he began writing professionally, meanwhile also starting his own marquee company. His first marriage to Irene Noel-Baker came to an end in 1988, and in 1991 he married Helen Damamme, with whom he has three sons. Since 1988 his home has been in

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Writing

In 1989 Roland Vernon won the Ian St James Award for fiction - for a short story which was published by Collins/Fontana. Thereafter he wrote a series of ten monographs about historic opera singers - commissioned by a corporate organisation and published in five volumes. In 1992 he was signed by

Victor Gollancz Ltd Victor Gollancz Ltd () was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century and continues to publish science fiction and fantasy titles as an imprint of Orion Publishing Group. Gollancz was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz, an ...

to do the biography of tenor José Carreras, but Carreras reneged on the deal at the last minute, and Vernon concentrated instead on a series of eight children's books on composers, published first by Belitha Press, before several translations and coeditions. He then wrote the biography of philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, published by Constable in 2000 as ''Star in the East - Krishnamurti, the Invention of a Messiah''. In 2003 he began work on a novel, later to be entitled ''A Dark Enchantment'', set in the world of brigands and British landowners in nineteenth century Greece. This was published in 2008 by Transworld Books, was the winner of The Daily Mail First Novel Award, and shortlisted for other prizes. Two further fiction titles were commissioned as a result. The first, ''The Maestro's Voice'', about the life of an operatic superstar in 1920s Naples, was published in 2010. The next, ''The Good Wife's Castle,'' a psychological thriller, came out in April 2012. 2019 saw his publication of the non-fiction work, ''Children of the Corn Maiden'', a history of the Vernon family.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Roland 1961 births Living people People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge English writers 21st-century English writers 20th-century English writers British male novelists 21st-century British novelists