Justin Hill

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Not to be confused with Justin Hills.

Justin Hill is an English novelist whose novels have been nominated for the Man Booker Prize three times. Born in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island in 1971, he grew up in Yorkshire. He was educated at the historic St Peter's School, York.

Hill was a member of St Cuthbert's Society, Durham University, where he studied English Language and Medieval Literature. After leaving university in 1992, he worked with the VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) for seven years in rural China and Eritrea. His first novel, The Drink and Dream Teahouse, was a commentary on contemporary China. It won a 2002 Betty Trask Award, the 2003 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, and was recommended by The Washington Post as one of the Top Reads of 2001.

Passing Under Heaven, about the life of female poet Yu Xuanji, won the 2005 Somerset Maugham Award, as well as being shortlisted for the 2005 Encore Award.

Ciao Asmara, about the history and present of Eritrea was shortlisted for the 2003 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award.

Shieldwall is the first in the Conquest Trilogy of books, which chronicles the events surrounding the Battle of Hastings, in 1066.

His work has been translated into 13 languages, and banned in China. He reviews regularly for The Times Literary Supplement and the South China Morning Post. In 2001, Justin was listed in the Independent on Sunday's Top 20 Young British Writers.

In October 2005 he was awarded the Xiaoxiang Friendship Award by the Governor of Hunan Province, for his services to the province. He teaches Creative Writing at the City University of Hong Kong.

[edit] Bibliography

A Bend in the Yellow River (1997, ISBN 978-0753801147)
The Drink and Dream Teahouse (2001, ISBN 978-0753813201)
Ciao Asmara (2002, ISBN 978-0349115269)
Passing Under Heaven (2004, ISBN 978-0349117393)
Shieldwall (2011, ISBN 978-1408702789)