Jasper Fforde Photo: Credit: Mari Fforde
Welcome to the world of the surreal comic novelist Jasper Fforde where worlds of fantasy, crime and comedy collide. He's been compared to Douglas Adams, Lewis Carroll and and Monty Python.
His first book The Eyre Affair (2001) introduced a series with the literary detective, Thursday Next. It was an instant success, entering the New York Times Bestseller List in its first week on shop shelves. His second series, Nursery Crime, featured Jack Spratt of The Nursery Crime Division. In 2010 he published Shades of Grey, set in a distopic England where society is regulated by people's colour perception. He has also written three books for young adults, The Last Dragonslayer (2010), Song of the Quarkbeast (2011) and The Eye of Zoltar (2013).
The absurdity even stretches to his loyal fans who hold a festival in his honour called The Fforde Fiesta
Jasper Fforde comes to New Zealand Festival Writers Week in March with appearances including being one of five literary judges on the Literary Idol panel on Saturday 13th March and an hour-long a session in conversation with playwright and columnist Dave Armstrong at the Embassy Theatre on Friday 11th March.