sir john mortimer

Sir John Mortimer has died peacefully in his sleep after a long illness at the age of 85. Sir John last visited Lichfield as part of our inaugural Lichfield Literature Weekend in October 2006 when he was interviewed by Nick Booth in front of a capacity audience about his then latest book, Rumpole and the Reign of Terror. It was a privilege to witness the clarity of his mind, his wonderful anecdotes, and his dry humour, especially as they pertained to his strongly held views of what were then new UK terrorism laws. All fueled of course by the ubiquitous champagne, which subsequently became the inspiration for how we thank authors who visit that event.