A Prisoner of Birth

JEFFREY ARCHER was educated at Oxford University. He served five years as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons and has served twenty-seven years as a Member of the House of Lords. Now published in 97 countries and more than 37 languages, all of his novels and short story collections—including Kane & Abel, Only Time Will Tell and This Was a Man—have been international bestsellers. Jeffrey is married with two sons and three grandchildren, and lives in London, Cambridge and Majorca.

Roger Allam has narrated audiobooks for numerous bestselling authors, including Jeffrey Archer, Ian McEwan, Ian Rankin, and Joseph Conrad. In reviewing Allam’s narration of Jeffrey Archer’s Paths of Glory, Publishers Weekly said, “Veteran actor Roger Allam brings an impressive range and energy to Archer's historical novel…. Allam's remarkable accents are the highlight of the audio book.”

 Allam has worked extensively for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and in the West End. He played Javert in the original London production of Les Misérables, and Falstaff in the Shakespeare’s Globe 2010 production of Henry IV Parts 1 and 2. He has been nominated four times for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, winning twice, and he has also won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor. His film work includes roles in The Queen, Speed Racer, V for Vendetta, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Tamara Drewe, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Book Thief and the television series The Thick of It. Allam lives in London with his actress wife, Rebecca Saire, and their two sons.