Winner of Prix Goncourt des Lyceens 2007 and Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2010.

Philippe Claudel is a university lecturer, novelist and scriptwriter. He has written 14 novels that have been translated into various languages. He was born in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe in 1962 where he still lives. Claudel says that he woke up one morning with the opening sentence of Brodeck's Report in his head: "My name is Brodeck and I am not responsible. John Cullen is the translator of more than 15 books from French, Spanish, Italian and German. He has twice been shortlisted for the IMPAC award, and was also shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger in 2007.