John Julius Norwich

John Julius Norwich is the author of "A History of Venice" as well as "The Normans in Sicily," "Shakespeare's Kings," "A Short History of Byzantium" (published by Govostis), and countless other publications. He has written and presented around thirty historical television documentaries and regularly lectures on Venice and other travel and historical topics. He is the chairman of the Venice in Peril Fund, vice-chairman of the World Monuments Fund, a former member of the executive committee of the National Trust, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Geographical Society. The Italian government has honored him as a Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito. He lives in London and is an enthusiastic pianist in nightclubs.