Photo: Ken Follett official website. Original uploader was JuergenL at de.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ken Follett is the rare writer who makes nearly 200 million copies sold feel earned rather than inflated. From the Cardiff-born author of Eye of the Needle to the sweeping historical epics, what I admire is his refusal to choose between research and readability. His pillars and cathedrals and wartime sagas are dense with detail yet impossible to put down, which is a far harder trick than literary snobs admit. An Edgar Award and a CBE confirm the obvious. For me he is the gold standard of the long, immersive read, the kind of storyteller who turns a heavy book into a fast night.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ken Follett
- Name (Japanese)
- ケン・フォレット
- Reading
- けん・ふぉれっと
- Born
- June 5, 1949 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Ox
- Origin
- Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / novelist / prose writer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University College London
Awards & achievements
- 1979 Edgar Awards
- 2003 Corine Literature Prize
- 2003 Audie Awards
- 2010 International Thriller Writers Awards
- 2018 honorary doctor of the University of Hertfordshire
- 2013 The Grand Master
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- 1999 Bancarella Literary Prize
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Winter of the World | — | |
| Notable work | Fall of Giants | — | |
| Notable work | Night Over Water | — | |
| Notable work | Lie Down with Lions | — | |
| Notable work | On Wings of Eagles | — | |
| Notable work | The Man from St. Petersburg | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Ken Follett born?
Born June 5, 1949 (age 77).
Where is Ken Follett from?
Ken Follett is from Cardiff, United Kingdom.
What does Ken Follett do?
Ken Follett works as writer, novelist, prose writer.
What is Ken Follett known for?
Notable works include Winter of the World, Fall of Giants, Night Over Water.
Writer — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.