It remains one of Ken’s most popular books. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978.

Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director. He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages.īorn on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995. Ken Follett is one of the world’s most successful authors. Ken Follett will donate his proceeds from this book to the charity La Fondation du Patrimoine. Follett then tells the story of the cathedral, from its construction to the role it has played across time and history, and he reveals the influence that the Notre-Dame had upon cathedrals around the world and on the writing of one of Follett's most famous and beloved novels, The Pillars of the Earth. In this short, spellbinding book, international bestselling author Ken Follett describes the emotions that gripped him when he learned about the fire that threatened to destroy one of the greatest cathedrals in the world-the Notre-Dame de Paris.

The feeling was bewildering, as if the earth was shaking.” -Ken Follett Something priceless was dying in front of our eyes. The sight dazed and disturbed us profoundly. “The wonderful cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the greatest achievements of European civilization, was on fire.

Notre dame ken follet