Philip Hoare is the author of six works of non-fiction, including , which won the 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction. Most recently, (2013) was published to great critical acclaim. Hoare is also an experienced broadcaster, a Visiting Fellow at Southampton University, and Leverhulme Artist-in-residence at The Marine Institute, Plymouth University, which awarded him an honourary doctorate in 2011. He lives in Southampton.