Sybille Bedford was born in Charlottenburg, Germany. She published her first book, The Sudden View: A Mexican Journey, in 1953.

A Legacy appeared in 1956, and three other novels have followed: A Favourite of the Gods (1963), A Compass Error (1968) and Jigsaw (1989), which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The Best We Can Do (1958), an account of the murder trial of Dr John Bodkin Adams, was the first of Bedford’s writings on law at work. The Faces of Justice (1961) collected her observations on the courts in England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France, followed by As It Was (1990).

Sybille Bedford

All nominated books

Jigsaw