Louis Bayard

Biography

Bayard was born on November 30, 1963 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and grew up in Northern Virginia. He graduated from Princeton University and received a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He lives in Washington, DC, and teaches fiction writing at George Washington University.

He was a staffer at the U.S. House of Representatives, working for Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and as press secretary for then Representative Phil Sharp (D-Indiana).

Writings

Bayard, Louis (1999). Fool's Errand (1st ed.). Los Angeles: Alyson Books. ISBN 1555834949. LCCN 98055139.  Bayard’s first two novels, Fool’s Errand (Alyson) and Endangered Species (Alyson), were romantic comedies with modern settings. Bayard, Louis (2001). Endangered species : a novel (1st ed.). Los Angeles: Alyson Books. ISBN 1555836410. LCCN 2001022614.  Bayard, Louis (2003). Mr. Timothy : a novel (1st ed.). New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060534214. LCCN 2003042327.  His third novel, Mr. Timothy, published by HarperCollins, was a Victorian thriller featuring a grown-up Tiny Tim from Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Bayard's novel was a New York Times Notable book and was chosen one of the 10 best books of the year by People magazine. Bayard, Louis (2006). The pale blue eye : a novel (1st ed.). New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0060733977. LCCN 2005044741.  His novel, The Pale Blue Eye, is a murder mystery set at West Point in 1830, where the young Edgar Allan Poe was a cadet. The book was nominated for an Edgar (2007) and a Dagger. It was optioned for a film adaptation by writer-director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart). Bayard, Louis (2008). The black tower (1st ed.). New York: William Morrow. ISBN 9780061173509. LCCN 2008005059.  Bayard’s fifth novel, The Black Tower (Morrow), set in Paris in 1818, follows the real-life detective Eugène François Vidocq as he investigates the mystery surrounding Marie Antoinette’s son. Bayard, Louis (2010). The school of night: a novel (1st ed.). New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 9780805090697. LCCN 2010024961.  The School of Night (Holt), shuttles between modern-day Washington DC and Elizabethan England, where a group of scholars including Walter Ralegh, Christopher Marlowe and the scientist Thomas Harriot explore dangerous questions. Bayard, Louis (2014). Roosevelt's Beast : a novel (First ed.). New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 9780805090703. LCCN 2013028721.  Roosevelt's Beast was published on March 18th, 2014. It tells of an action adventure involving Theodore Roosevelt and his son, Kermit, through Brazil’s Da Dúvida River circa 1914. Bayard, Louis (2016). Lucky Strikes (1st ed.). New York City: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 9781627793902.  Bayard has also written book reviews and essays for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Salon and Nerve. He has appeared at the National Book Festival, and he has written the New York Times recaps for Downton Abbey and Wolf Hall.