Philip Marsden

Philip Marsden, also known as Philip Marsden-Smedley (born 11 May 1961),[1] is an English travel writer and novelist.

He is a grandson of Sir James Granville le Neve King of Campsie, 3rd Baronet (1898 –1989), a nephew of Sir John Christopher King of Campsie, 4th Baronet, and therefore a first cousin of the current Baronet, Sir James Rupert King of Campsie, 5th Baronet.

Born in Bristol, England, Marsden has a degree in anthropology[2] and worked for some years for The Spectator magazine.[3] He became a full-time writer in the late 1980s. He was elected as a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature in 1996.[4]

A review of his work by Guy Mannes-Abbott appeared in The Independent newspaper in November 2007.[5]

He lives in Cornwall[6] with his wife, the writer Charlotte Hobson,[7] and their children.[5]

  1. ^ Date of birth previously cited wrongly as 5 November, possibly a transatlantic misinterpretation of 5/11/61.
  2. ^ Allston Mitchell, "Interview with Philip Marsden", The Global Dispatches...", 10 October 2012.
  3. ^ Philip Marsden page at The Spectator.
  4. ^ "Current RSL Fellows", The Royal Society of Literature.
  5. ^ a b Guy Mannes-Abbott, "Philip Marsden: Journeying among people: Philip Marsden's books have shone a light into the hidden corners of Ethiopian history. Guy Mannes-Abbott is touched by his great affection for the nation", The Independent, 23 November 2007.
  6. ^ "Cornish authors' favourite writing spots", The Valley, Cornwall, 21 November 2015.
  7. ^ Biographical summary in Ms Hobson's 2016 novel, The Vanishing Futurist.