Louis De Bernières

De Bernières was born just outside of London and grew up in Surrey. Though he joined the army when he was 18, he only made it four months in the officer training course and then moved on to attending several universities, including Victoria University of Manchester and the University of London. He held a number of odd jobs, including that of a mechanic and an English teacher in Colombia, before turning to writing full-time in the late 1980s. His experiences in Colombia influenced his first three novels, known collectively as the Latin American Trilogy. He's most famous for Captain Corelli's Mandolin, though he openly disapproves of the film adaptation. De Bernières has never been married but has two children with the actress Cathy Gill. He also plays a number of instruments and though he considers himself to be just an enthusiastic amateur, a majority of his novels illustrate his love of music.