H. M. Castor has been obsessed with the Tudors since primary school. She studied
Tudor History at Cambridge University, and despite spending time after that doing
a variety of jobs – including teaching English in Prague and working as a Benesh
Movement Notator for the Royal Ballet – the Tudors have never lost their hold on
her. In particular she has been fascinated by the story of Henry VIII.
“I’ve read a great deal about his life,” she says, “but still a huge question has remained: just how does this extraordinary boy become one of the most villainous kings in British
history? He is vastly talented, has astonishing warrior skills, and is said to be a model of virtue. So what turns him into a monster? In writing VIII I’ve set out to answer that question.”
H. M. Castor lives in Bristol with her husband and two daughters.
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