Patrick O'Brian was one of the greatest British novelists of the twentieth century, securing his place in literary history with the bestselling Aubrey-Maturin series, books that have sold millions of copies worldwide and been hailed as the best historical fiction of all time. In A Very Private Life, Nikolai Tolstoy draws upon his close relationship with his stepfather, as well as his notebooks, letters and photographs, to capture a highly researched but intimate account of those fifty years in Collioure that were the richest of O'Brian's writing life. With warm and honest reflection, this biography gives insight into the genius of the little-known man behind the much-loved writing. Tolstoy also tells how, through a sad irony, unjust attacks on O'Brian's private life destroyed much of the happiness he had gained from his achievement just as his literary career attained greater acclaim.