Brian Dillon was born in Dublin in 1969. He writes on the arts, books and culture for a number of publications. His first book, In the Dark Room, won the Irish Book Award for Non-fiction in 2006. He lives in Canterbury.
It's so good that, after reading it, I needed a lie-down. -- Hilary Mantel * Guardian Books of the Year * A brilliant series of portraits * Observer * Fascinating ... Written with great elegance and shrewd understanding -- William Boyd * Guardian Books of the Year * Illuminating, humane and beautiful * Independent * Ingenious and intriguing * Guardian * Brian Dillon is a superbly careful writer. ... [This book] will delight, move and horrify any of the millions of us who, like the late Spike Milligan, have at one time or another contemplated having ""I told you I was ill"" inscribed on our gravestones. -- Sam Leith * Daily Mail * A mini-masterpiece -- Louise Carpenter * Observer * Excellent * Sunday Times * Strangely delightful ... Dillon's book is constantly intelligent * Scotland on Sunday * You don't need to be a hypochondriac to enjoy this series of discursive, insightful essays that are full of quirky details and fascinating anecdotes * Mail on Sunday * Illuminating -- Philip Hoare * Sunday Telegraph * Eloquent and incisive -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent * Dillon's mind is as interesting as those of the people he writes about ... bizarrely unputdownable -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *