Photo: Bernard Gotfryd photograph collection (Library of Congress) / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Graham Swift writes the kind of fiction that rewards patience, and I treasure that. Waterland alone earns him a permanent place on my shelf, but the Booker-winning Last Orders proved his gift for letting memory, landscape and the silences inside families do the heavy lifting. He is not a flashy or prolific author; he is a careful one, trusted by serious readers for decades and decorated from the Geoffrey Faber to the Hawthornden. What impresses me most is the quiet endurance, still building stories well past the age when many writers coast. He embodies the unhurried craft I wish modern publishing valued more.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Graham Swift
- Name (Japanese)
- グレアム・スウィフト
- Reading
- ぐれあむ・すうぃふと
- Born
- May 4, 1949 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Ox
- Origin
- London, United Kingdom
- Occupation
- writer / novelist / teacher
2. Background
- University
- University of York
Awards & achievements
- 1996 James Tait Black Memorial Prize
- 1983 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
- 1996 Booker Prize
- 1983 Guardian Fiction Prize
- 2017 Hawthornden Prize
- 1984 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Shuttlecock | — | |
| Notable work | Waterland | — | |
| Notable work | Last Orders | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Graham Swift born?
Born May 4, 1949 (age 77).
Where is Graham Swift from?
Graham Swift is from London, United Kingdom.
What does Graham Swift do?
Graham Swift works as writer, novelist, teacher.
What is Graham Swift known for?
Notable works include Shuttlecock, Waterland, Last Orders.
Writer — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.