Age, Biography and Wiki

Patrick French (Patrick Rollo Basil French) was born on 28 May, 1966 in Aldershot, England, is a British writer and historian (1966–2023). Discover Patrick French's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 57 years old?

Popular As Patrick Rollo Basil French
Occupation Historian
Age 57 years old
Zodiac Sign Gemini
Born 28 May 1966
Birthday 28 May
Birthplace Aldershot, England
Date of death 16 March, 2023
Died Place London, England
Nationality United Kingdom

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 28 May. He is a member of famous Historian with the age 57 years old group.

Patrick French Height, Weight & Measurements

At 57 years old, Patrick French height not available right now. We will update Patrick French's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
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Who Is Patrick French's Wife?

His wife is Abigail Ashton-Johnson Meru Gokhale

Family
Parents Not Available
Wife Abigail Ashton-Johnson Meru Gokhale
Sibling Not Available
Children 4

Patrick French Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Patrick French worth at the age of 57 years old? Patrick French’s income source is mostly from being a successful Historian. He is from United Kingdom. We have estimated Patrick French's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Historian

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Timeline

1966

Patrick Rollo Basil French (28 May 1966 – 16 March 2023) was a British writer, historian and academician.

Patrick Rollo Basil French was born in Aldershot, Hampshire, on 28 May 1966.

He was raised in Warminster and attended Ampleforth College, before enrolling at the University of Edinburgh, where he studied English and American literature, received an MA in English literature, and went on to receive a PhD in South Asian studies.

At the age of 25, French set off on a trail across Central Asia to retrace the steps of British explorer Francis Younghusband.

1992

During the 1992 general election, French was a Green Party candidate for Parliament.

He sat on the executive committee of Free Tibet, a Tibet Support Group UK, and was a founding member of the inter-governmental India–UK Round Table.

1994

He was the author of several books including: Younghusband: the Last Great Imperial Adventurer (1994), a biography of Francis Younghusband; The World Is What It Is (2008), an authorised biography of Nobel Laureate V. S. Naipaul that won the National Book Critics Circle Award in the United States of America; and India: A Portrait (2011).

This resulted in the publication of his first book, Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer in 1994.

The book went on to win both the Somerset Maugham Award and the Royal Society of Literature's W. H. Heinemann Prize.

1997

French's next book, Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division, was published in 1997 and earned the author accolades and brickbats in equal parts.

It was described by some in the Indian media as presenting a "revisionist view" of Mahatma Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah's role in the Indian Independence movement, and there were a few calls to ban the book in India.

On the other hand, Philip Ziegler hailed it as "a remarkable achievement", and Khushwant Singh described the author as "a first rate historian and storyteller".

The book sold heavily due to the controversy and French was awarded the Sunday Times Young Author of the Year award for the book.

1999

According to the author's own account, his interest in Tibet was triggered by a meeting he had with the Dalai Lama when he was 16, but the book emerged from "a gradual nervousness that the western idea of Tibet, particularly the views of Tibet campaigners, was becoming too detached from the reality of what Tibet was like. So I did a long journey through Tibet in 1999."

The Independent described the book as "intelligent as well as passionate in its approach".

Pico Iyer in the Los Angeles Times book review described French as a "scrupulous and disciplined writer" who "has a decided gift for inspired and heartfelt research and a knack for coming upon overlooked details that are worth several volumes of analysis".

2003

Published in 2003, Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land was French's third book.

In 2003, French was offered and declined the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

He felt the medal's motto, "For God and the Empire", would affect perceptions of his writing on South Asian history.

French died from cancer in London on 16 March 2023, at the age of 56.

2008

The World Is What It Is, French's authorised biography of the Nobel Prize–winning author V. S. Naipaul, was published in 2008.

In The New York Review of Books Ian Buruma described French as the inventor of a new genre, "the confessional biography".

The book was selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review as one of the "10 Best books of 2008".

In 2008 The World Is What It Is was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award in America, and was also shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize.

2009

French was also awarded the Hawthornden Prize in 2009 for the book.

2011

In 2011, French published India: A Portrait, descrobed as "an intimate biography of 1.2 billion people".

The book is a narrative of the social and economic revolutions that are transforming India.

French also started an India-focused website called The India Site.

2017

French was appointed the inaugural Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Ahmedabad University in 2017.

Before his death French was working on the authorised biography of another Nobel laureate, Doris Lessing.

French and his first wife, Abigail Ashton-Johnson, had three children.

Their marriage ended in divorce.

He then married Meru Gokhale, and they had a son.

Gokhale is a former editor-in-chief of Penguin Random House India and daughter of author and publisher Namita Gokhale.