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Does it matter whether we know about the lives of authors? Yes, says Professor John Sutherland, emeritus Lord Northcliffe professor of English Literature at University College London and a noted columnist and critic. ‘Literary life and work are inseparable and mutually illuminating,’ he says. His latest book, Lives of the Novelists: A History of Fiction in 294 Lives, takes a comprehensive look at the lives of 294 novelists. It is pithy, witty, opinionated, moving and sometimes hilarious and shocking. He describes authors of many types of fiction, from penny dreadfuls and erotica to gothic horror and high literature. Among the intriguing facts revealed are the name of the writer who penned the first best seller and how often Kenneth Grahame changed his underpants.