Adam Mars-Jones's first book of stories, ***Lantern Lecture***, was published in 1981 and won a Somerset Maugham Award. In 1983 and again in 1993 he was named one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists, despite not having produced a novel at the time. His Zen status as an acclaimed novelist without a novel was dented by the appearance of ***The Waters of Thirst***, and only suffered further with the appearance of ***Pilcrow***, described by Margaret Drabble as 'one of the most remarkable novels I have read in recent years'. He regularly reviews for the Observer and the LRB.