Paul Broks
Paul Broks is a clinical neuropsychologist, author and dramatist, based at the University of Plymouth. He combined research and clinical practice for a number of years before gaining recognition as a writer. His first book, Into the Silent Land (2003) mixed neurological case stories, fiction and memoir in an extended meditation on selfhood and the brain. Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, it has been translated into 13 languages to date. A second book, The Laws of Magic, exploring memory and imagination, is forthcoming.
Paul’s theatre work includes two plays, On Ego and On Emotion (co-written with the writer/director Mick Gordon) and Seized, a new play commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company which examines the neuropsychology of belief. He wrote and narrated Martino Unstrung, a documentary film about the jazz guitar virtuoso, Pat Martino (Dir. Ian Knox; Sixteen Films, 2008) and is currently working with the acclaimed film director, Hugh Hudson, on a documentary about brain injury. Paul is a regular contributor to the British current affairs magazine, Prospect, and writes a column for The Times.
