Jason Goodwin

Jason Goodwin
Born Jason Goodwin
Occupation writer,historian
Language English
Nationality British
Genre Thriller
Notable works The Janissary Tree
Spouse Kate Goodwin
Jason Goodwin in 2011. HeadRead festival in Tallinn.

Jason Goodwin (born 1964) is an English writer and historian. He studied Byzantine history at Cambridge University. Following the success of The Gunpowder Gardens or, A Time For Tea: Travels in China and India in Search of Tea, he walked from Poland to Istanbul, Turkey. His account of the journey, On Foot to the Golden Horn, won the John Llewellyn Rhys/Mail on Sunday Prize in 1993.

Subsequently he wrote Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire, which was featured on the cover of The New York Times Book Review. Later, he became popular as the author of a series of historical mystery novels beginning with The Janissary Tree, which pivot on the Ottoman investigator, Yashim, a eunuch who famously cooks and sleuths in 1840s Istanbul. The Janissary Tree won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2007 and novels in the series have been translated into over 40 languages.

"The Snake Stone" involves a French archaeologist and Byron's doctor. ''The Bellini Card" takes the action to Venice, and involves Gentile Bellini's portrait of Mahmud II. The fourth Yashim novel, An Evil Eye, centres on the Ottoman sultan's harem, and the final Istanbul adventure, "The Baklava Club", involves Italian and Polish revolutionaries in Istanbul.

Goodwin blogs at his website.

Goodwin is the son of Jocasta Innes and New Age writer John Michell.[1] However, his parents separated before he was born. Goodwin did not meet his birth father until 1992, at the age of 28,[2] and was raised by his mother's first husband, the film producer Richard B. Goodwin.[3] His half-sister is the British TV producer and novelist Daisy Goodwin.[3] He is married and has four children.

Published works

Yashim the Ottoman Investigator novels

Awards

References

External links