Nye, Robert

(British, 1939– )

Nye left school at 16, at which age he had already published poems, and he has lived by his writing ever since. Nye has been described as a Literary Time Lord: he tells stories of characters from history and fiction, bringing them to vibrant and colourful life, often making them tell the stories of their own lives, making us feel as if we were inside their heads. His portrayal of character is compassionate and sensitive, his style full of wit and humour. Merlin (1979) combines Arthurian magic and legend with graphic eroticism to tell the story of the famous wizard and his father the Devil, his seduction, and eventual fate of imprisonment within an oaktree. Falstaff (1976) allows its famous hero to indulge in bawdy wit and humour, while revealing the humanity within him.

A. S. Byatt, John Gardner, Barry Unsworth  EC