| Honorific suffix | FRSL |
|---|---|
| Birth place | California, United States |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Yale University; University of Oxford |
| Employer | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| Notable works | You Don't Have To Live Like This (2015) The Rest of Our Lives (2025) |
| Awards | James Tait Black Prize for Fiction |
Benjamin Markovits FRSL (born 1973) is a British-American writer. He is the author of twelve novels, among them a trilogy on the life of poet Lord Byron. Markovits was selected as one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta magazine in 2013. In 2016, his novel You Don't Have To Live Like This won the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction. In 2025, his novel The Rest of Our Lives was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize.[1]
Background
Born in 1973[2] in California, United States, Ben Markovits grew up in Texas, London and Berlin, and studied at Yale University and the University of Oxford. He has worked as a high-school English teacher and as the editor of a left-wing culture magazine.[3] After college, he played professional basketball in Landshut, Germany, for a team in the southern league of the German second division.[4]
Markovits now lives in London, England, where he teaches creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.[5]<ref name="RSL Fellow"[2][6]
Bibliography
- 2004: The Syme Papers
- 2005: Either Side of Winter
- 2007: Imposture
- 2008: A Quiet Adjustment
- 2010: Playing Days: A Novel
- 2011: Childish Loves
- 2015: You Don't Have to Live Like This
- 2018: A Weekend in New York
- 2019: Christmas in Austin
- 2020: Home Games
- 2022: The Sidekick
- 2025: The Rest of Our Lives
Awards and recognition
- 2006: Le Prince Maurice Prize[3]
- 2009: Fellowship, Radcliffe Centre for Humanities
- 2013: Granta Best of Young British Novelists
- 2016: James Tait Black Prize for Fiction[7]
- 2018: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature[2]
References
- ^ "The Booker Prize 2025 | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
- ^ "Ben Markovits". Royal Society of Literature. 2023-09-01. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
- ^ "Benjamin Markovits". British Council. Archived 30 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Markovits, Benjamin (2011-06-13). "Dirk Nowitzki, NBA Finals MVP: The basketball player as a young man.". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
- ^ Markovits, Benjamin (May 30, 2010). "Once upon a life: Benjamin Markovits". The Observer. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- ^ "Professor Ben Markovits". Royal Holloway, University of London.
- ^ "Fiction winners". The James Tait Black Prizes. 26 July 2023.