Simon Mawer (1948–2025)
Author of The Glass Room
About the Author
Author and biology teacher Simon Mawer was born in England in 1948. He studied at Somerset's Millfield School and Oxford's Brasenose College, receiving a degree in zoology. Mawer's first novel, Chimera, won the McKitterick Prize, while The Fall earned the 2003 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain show more Literature. He has written several other novels, as well as the exhibition companion volume Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics. His novel, Tightrope, made the New Zealand Best Seller List in 2015 and won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. (Bowker Author Biography) Simon Mawer has a degree from Oxford & lives in Rome. He is the author of "Mendel's Dwarf" & several other widely praised & prize winning novels. 010 r show less
Series
Works by Simon Mawer
The Glass Room 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1948
- Date of death
- 2025-02-12
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Millfield School, Somerset, England, UK
Brasenose College, Oxford University - Occupations
- Biology teacher
- Awards and honors
- Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature (2003)
Man Booker Prize Shortlist (2009)
Walter Scott Prize Shortlist (2010)
Booker Prize Longlist (2009) - Agent
- Charles Walker
- Relationships
- Connie (wife)
Matthew (son)
Julia (daughter) - Short biography
- His father and grandfather served in the Royal Air Force. As a typical nomadic military family, his childhood was spent, amongst various moves in England, some years in Cyprus and Malta. These experiences gave him a love of the Mediterranean world and a taste for exile. From the age of eight he was educated in boarding schools, which forced upon him the need to preserve a secret, interior world in a society where privacy was at a premium, training that was significant in his development as a writer. After university he taught biology in the Channel Islands, then moved to Scotland, then Malta, before moving to Rome where he has lived ever since. Teaching and family took up much of his time, and it wasn't until his fortieth year that his first novel, Chimera, was published by Hamish Hamilton, a British book publishing house founded in 1931 which now belongs to Penguin Books. It won the McKitterick Prize for first novels. Mendel's Dwarf followed three works of modest success and established him as a writer of note on both sides of the Atlantic. The New York Times judged it one of the "books to remember" of 1998. The option on a film version was sold first to Uzo and then to Barbra Streisand. The Gospel of Judas and The Fall followed. He published Swimming to Ithaca, a novel partially inspired by his childhood on the island of Cyprus. A book called A place in Italy (1992), written in the wake of A year in Provence, recounts the first two years of his life in an Italian village. Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics, another non-fiction book, was published in conjunction with the Field Museum of Chicago as a companion volume to the museum's exhibition of the same name. In 2009, Mawer published The Glass Room, a novel about a modernist villa built in a Czech city in 1928. Mawer has acknowledged that the book was primarily inspired by the Villa Tugendhat which was designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and built in Brno in the Czech Republic in 1928–30. Mawer has lived in Italy for more than three decades, but he considers home to be where the mind is.
- Nationality
- UK
- Places of residence
- England
Cyprus
Malta
Channel Islands, UK
Scotland
Rome, Italy
Members
Reviews
What a compelling story! Two parallel tales, one of of Gregor Mendel, friar and scientist, and the second of Doctor Benedict Lambert, genetics specialist, achondroplastic dwarf, and great great great nephew of Gregor Mendel, take place. This is a particularly painful read as the reader experiences over and over again the emotional toll of dwarfism in a world of "normal" people by the way the author forms his narrative. The world of Gregor Mendel becomes painful as well as the reader soon show more realizes that the full worth of this friar's work goes totally unrecognized during his lifetime.
One wonders about the life of a dwarf while trying to be politically correct, but how does a dwarf navigate a "normal" world? How does one have relationships, both friendships and sexual ones? How does a dwarf "succeed" in such a disadvantaged position? In lieu of giving answers, this novel only asks more questions. This is the beauty and genius of this story.
Dr. Benedict Lambert falls in love with a librarian, Jean Muller. He wants to "save" her from an abusive husband, but what happens in this situation is beyond my ability to tell you. You must read this book for yourself to find out,
Genetics, heavy doses of genetics, are included in the text of this novel along with references. Don't get bogged down by this. Read and understand what you can and press onward. You will find a deeply moving and unforgettable story in the pages of this book. show less
One wonders about the life of a dwarf while trying to be politically correct, but how does a dwarf navigate a "normal" world? How does one have relationships, both friendships and sexual ones? How does a dwarf "succeed" in such a disadvantaged position? In lieu of giving answers, this novel only asks more questions. This is the beauty and genius of this story.
Dr. Benedict Lambert falls in love with a librarian, Jean Muller. He wants to "save" her from an abusive husband, but what happens in this situation is beyond my ability to tell you. You must read this book for yourself to find out,
Genetics, heavy doses of genetics, are included in the text of this novel along with references. Don't get bogged down by this. Read and understand what you can and press onward. You will find a deeply moving and unforgettable story in the pages of this book. show less
This is the sort of book that may give catalogers (or anyone trying to figure out what shelf a book belongs on) fits. It's a novel, but it's history. It's a primary-source-based retelling of the past, but it's mostly invented. It's a gifted author shuffling a handful of clues and filling in the vast gaps between them, using the inventive process as an opportunity to reflect on the narrative threads that tie history and fiction together.
In Ancestry, Mawer imagines the lives of two couples, show more his 19th-century great-great-grandparents. The first ran away from the dreary life of agricultural labor to become a seaman and later married a dressmaker who had a child out of wedlock. The other was a soldier who married an Irishwoman who had to manage alone in a hostile world when he was sent to fight in the Crimean war. Their stories are anchored with scraps of paper - birth, marriage, and death records, some marked with an illiterate's X - but the documentary evidence is scant for people who are poor and landless. What Mawer accomplishes is an imaginative reinvention of these families and their worlds, which I found absorbing and illuminating. The women, in particular, are vividly brought to life, and their hard-scrabble determination to create a life for themselves and their children is more dramatic than ocean crossings or battles. At a time when I often despair of our world, it's eye-opening to see how difficult ordinary lives were not all that long ago. It's an immersive reading experience. show less
In Ancestry, Mawer imagines the lives of two couples, show more his 19th-century great-great-grandparents. The first ran away from the dreary life of agricultural labor to become a seaman and later married a dressmaker who had a child out of wedlock. The other was a soldier who married an Irishwoman who had to manage alone in a hostile world when he was sent to fight in the Crimean war. Their stories are anchored with scraps of paper - birth, marriage, and death records, some marked with an illiterate's X - but the documentary evidence is scant for people who are poor and landless. What Mawer accomplishes is an imaginative reinvention of these families and their worlds, which I found absorbing and illuminating. The women, in particular, are vividly brought to life, and their hard-scrabble determination to create a life for themselves and their children is more dramatic than ocean crossings or battles. At a time when I often despair of our world, it's eye-opening to see how difficult ordinary lives were not all that long ago. It's an immersive reading experience. show less
Simon Mawer’s latest book Prague Spring is sent in the short flourishing of freedom in Czechoslovakia when Alexander Dubcek sought to create “socialism with a human face” by lifting censorship and expanding cultural freedoms. This was soon crushed by the Warsaw Pact invasion to end, as they put it, the counterrevolution. James and Ellie are two Oxford students hitchhiking Europe during their holiday. James is infatuated with Ellie and Ellie is amused by James. She’s studying show more literature; he’s studying science. She has the lighthearted confidence of class privilege; he has the studious matter-of-factness of the working class. They decide not to decide as they travel, flipping a coin to make decisions. At one crossroad, they flip a coin and go to Prague.
Sam Wareham is a British diplomat working in Prague. He is sending off his not quite fianceé Steffie when we meet him, but then he meets Lenka Konečková and realizes that not-quite is really quite a good thing. Lenka is bold, sensual, and self-possessed. She challenges him and he falls for her, even knowing that affairs with the locals is a dangerous thing behind the Iron Curtain.
Of course, these two pairs come together and through Sam we see the historical and political context of the Prague Spring. Through Ellie and Sam, we see the cultural context, the movement of youth not yet disappointed and discouraged by repression. Lenka bridges the difference, situating that youthful optimism and activism not just in the cultural flowering, but also in the history, particularly in the history of her own family who suffered both Nazi and Communist repression.
It has been twenty years or so since I first read “Mendel’s Dwarf,” a book that still resonates with me to this day. I evangelized that book for years. In fact, I think I evangelized that book within the last six months. It’s a lot to live up to.
Prague Spring is a good story. Mawer excels at painting the historical picture, not just the time and place, but the zeitgeist, the swirling interplay of culture, society, and power. He creates characters who are likably imperfect, complex enough to surprise the reader and sometimes even themselves. And yet, by telling this story from the perspective of outsiders, Mawer takes the high stakes of liberation and repression and offers us the lowered stakes of what will likely be a travel anecdote to liven up their middle age. There is so much more at stake for Lenka and for the other Czechs, I found myself not really caring about what happens with Ellie and James. I care about Sam and Lenka because Lenka’s stakes are higher.
I received an e-galley of from Prague Spring the publisher through Edelweiss.
Prague Spring at Other Press
Simon Mawer author site
★★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/14/9781590519660/ show less
Sam Wareham is a British diplomat working in Prague. He is sending off his not quite fianceé Steffie when we meet him, but then he meets Lenka Konečková and realizes that not-quite is really quite a good thing. Lenka is bold, sensual, and self-possessed. She challenges him and he falls for her, even knowing that affairs with the locals is a dangerous thing behind the Iron Curtain.
Of course, these two pairs come together and through Sam we see the historical and political context of the Prague Spring. Through Ellie and Sam, we see the cultural context, the movement of youth not yet disappointed and discouraged by repression. Lenka bridges the difference, situating that youthful optimism and activism not just in the cultural flowering, but also in the history, particularly in the history of her own family who suffered both Nazi and Communist repression.
It has been twenty years or so since I first read “Mendel’s Dwarf,” a book that still resonates with me to this day. I evangelized that book for years. In fact, I think I evangelized that book within the last six months. It’s a lot to live up to.
Prague Spring is a good story. Mawer excels at painting the historical picture, not just the time and place, but the zeitgeist, the swirling interplay of culture, society, and power. He creates characters who are likably imperfect, complex enough to surprise the reader and sometimes even themselves. And yet, by telling this story from the perspective of outsiders, Mawer takes the high stakes of liberation and repression and offers us the lowered stakes of what will likely be a travel anecdote to liven up their middle age. There is so much more at stake for Lenka and for the other Czechs, I found myself not really caring about what happens with Ellie and James. I care about Sam and Lenka because Lenka’s stakes are higher.
I received an e-galley of from Prague Spring the publisher through Edelweiss.
Prague Spring at Other Press
Simon Mawer author site
★★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/12/14/9781590519660/ show less
Set against the shifting backdrop of early 20th-century Europe, The Glass Room tells the story of Viktor and Liesel Landauer, a wealthy couple who commission a visionary architect to build a striking modern home of glass and steel. The house, designed as a symbol of openness, beauty, and progressive ideals, stands in stark contrast to the increasingly complicated and fragile nature of their personal lives.
As love, desire, and betrayal begin to erode their relationship, the political climate show more across Europe darkens. With the looming threat of World War II, the Landauers are ultimately forced to abandon their dream home. The house itself becomes a silent witness to history, passing through the hands of various occupants—scientists, soldiers, and officials—each leaving their mark and reflecting the turbulence of the 20th century.
This is a thrilling and beautifully written novel, filled with vivid descriptions that bring both the characters and the iconic house to life. The blend of emotional drama and historical change, along with themes of love and betrayal, makes it a compelling and memorable read. show less
As love, desire, and betrayal begin to erode their relationship, the political climate show more across Europe darkens. With the looming threat of World War II, the Landauers are ultimately forced to abandon their dream home. The house itself becomes a silent witness to history, passing through the hands of various occupants—scientists, soldiers, and officials—each leaving their mark and reflecting the turbulence of the 20th century.
This is a thrilling and beautifully written novel, filled with vivid descriptions that bring both the characters and the iconic house to life. The blend of emotional drama and historical change, along with themes of love and betrayal, makes it a compelling and memorable read. show less
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Women in War (1)
Booker Prize (1)
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Statistics
- Works
- 17
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 3,670
- Popularity
- #6,896
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 164
- ISBNs
- 164
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- Favorited
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