Louise Dean was born in Hastings in 1970 and studied History at Cambridge University. She is the author of three other novels. Her first novel Becoming Strangers was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, The Guardian First Book Award and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary award and winner of The Betty Trask Prize and Le Prince Maurice Prize. The Old Romantic is Louise Dean’s fourth novel, chosen as an Oprah Book of The Week in the United States. ‘The more books an author writes the better she becomes at being herself. Louise Dean’s early acclaimed novels explored life in the Caribbean (Becoming Strangers), the Irish Troubles (This Human Season) and Africa’s pharmaceutical industry (The Idea of Love). With The Old Romantic, Dean is on more familiar turf.’ The Telegraph. 'Dean writes with beautifully controlled clarity about family ties, social class, the generation gap and the vanished England of the past. She’s extremely funny, but also humane and moving.' The Times. ‘Comic, clear-eyed and humane, this is the work of a gifted author.’ The Lady.