Lewis DeSoto is a writer and artist. His latest novel is The Restoration Artist. His previous novel A Blade of Grass, published by HarperCollins, was nominated for the Man Booker Prize in 2004. He is also the author of the short biography, Emily Carr, published by Penguin Books .

Praise for A Blade of Grass…

‘The rhythms of the prose are so seductive, the feeling for landscape is beautiful… What fiction should be: instructive, moving, enthralling.’ – Margaret Forster

‘A plangent debut… an extremely persuasive but of storytelling’ – Daily Mail

‘Outstanding debut novel… a cogent portrayal of race relations during the apartheid era’ – The Times

‘One of the most interesting novels to have emerged from South Africa recently…. does something few African writers have dared try’ – The Economist

‘DeSoto writes lyrically about the African countryside, and he delicately reveals the nuances of interracial sexual attraction.’ – The New York Times