29 May at 11.30am
Discussing his career and new book

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Journalist and Essex boy Tony Parsons grew up publicly with his 1991 novel Man and Boy, a story about becoming a single father. While the characters were fictional, the storyline bore a marked resemblance to Parson's own life.

He was already well known: in the 1970s he and Julie Burchill had been music journalists together on the NME, and became a celebrity couple, famed for their take-no-prisoners style. After an acrimonious split, Parsons brought up their son alone.

He built a career as a columnist and critic before Man and Boy turned him into a chronicler of the modern man. He followed it with One For My Baby, and Man and Wife. Parsons' direct, unpretentious style delivers emotion as well as laughs – readers often discuss how often he's made them cry.

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Tony Parsons © PA Photos