“Being a monk was the strangest and most perverted way of life imaginable. Monks spent half their lives putting themselves through pain and discomfort that they could easily avoid, and the other half muttering meaningless mumbo jumbo in empty churches at all hours of the day and night. They deliberately shunned anything good—girls, sports, feasting and family life.”

Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels, born 1949

Kenneth Martin Follett is a Welsh author known for thrillers and historical novels. Born in 1949, he has reached a wide international readership and remains closely associated with popular fiction. His books have sold nearly 200 million copies, a figure that reflects both his reach and his long-standing place in commercial fiction. Follett is especially known for suspenseful stories and large-scale historical narratives, written for readers who enjoy pace, intrigue, and carefully built settings.