Apart from his well-known biographies, the most recent of which, Universal Father, was of Pope John Paul II, Garry O’Connor has published two novels: Darlings of the Gods, which was filmed as a mini-series from his original non-fiction book – ‘The mythology of one of the century’s most celebrated marriages [of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh]…a brilliantly perceptive portrait’, according to The Observer; and Campion’s Ghost, about which The Sunday Times wrote, ‘That O’Connor manages to re-create figures such as John Donne and Elizabeth I in many complex and unexpected ways is a tribute to his skill. Donne becomes almost the symbol of the age. Not only is he at the heart of the renaissance, but he also embodies in his private anguish the bloody battle between Catholicism and Protestantism.’ Time Out recommended Campion’s Ghost as ‘A learned and compelling story…a historical novel which carries the pungent whiff of authenticity.’ The author adapted it into a play for BBC Radio 4, starring Paul McGann and Timothy West.
