Jason Goodwin
Jason Goodwin (born June 1964) is an English writer and historian.
Also recorded as Jason Charles Goodwin
Jason Goodwin
Lohusalu · Self-photographed · CC0
- Name
- Jason Goodwin
- Born
- 1964
- Birthplace
- England
- Occupation
- Writer, historian
- Education
- Trinity College, Cambridge
- Spouse
- Kate Goodwin
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Known for
- The Janissary Tree
- Honours
- John Llewellyn Rhys Prize · Edgar Awards
- Languages
- English
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Jason Goodwin (born June 1964) is an English writer and historian.
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Note VALÉORINE
Jason Goodwin (born 1964) is a historian and writer, of British nationality. The historian was born in England. Jason Goodwin was educated at University of Cambridge.
Among the works is The Janissary Tree. Languages used include English. Honours include Edgar Awards and John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q1683919 · wikipedia · Jason Goodwin
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jason Goodwin • Birth Name — Jason Goodwin • Born — 1964 • Birthplace — England • Occupation — Writer, historian • Language — English • Education — Trinity College, Cambridge • Genre — Thriller • Notable Works — The Janissary Tree • Spouse — Kate Goodwin • Children — 4 • Parents — Jocasta Innes (mother) John Michell (father) Richard B. Goodwin (stepfather) • Relatives — Daisy Goodwin (half-sister) • Website — www.jasongoodwin.info Jason Goodwin (born June 1964) is an English writer and historian.
Biography
Biography
• Illustration — Jason Goodwin at HeadRead festival in Tallinn, 2011 Goodwin attended Sussex House School and Westminster School, before studying history at Trinity College, Cambridge. Following the success of The Gunpowder Gardens or, A Time For Tea: Travels in China and India in Search of Tea, he walked from Poland to Istanbul, Turkey. His account of the journey, On Foot to the Golden Horn, won the John Llewellyn Rhys/Mail on Sunday Prize in 1993. Subsequently, he wrote Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire, which was featured on the cover of The New York Times Book Review. Later, he became popular as the author of a series of historical mystery novels beginning with The Janissary Tree, which pivot on the Ottoman investigator Yashim, a eunuch living in Istanbul during the 1830s-1840s. The Janissary Tree won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2007 and novels in the series have been translated into over 40 languages. The Snake Stone involves a French archaeologist and Byron's doctor. The Bellini Card takes the action to Venice, and involves Italian painter Gentile Bellini's portrait of Mehmed II. The fourth Yashim novel, An Evil Eye, centres on the Ottoman sultan's harem, and the final Istanbul adventure, The Baklava Club, involves Italian and Polish revolutionaries in Istanbul. In 2016 Goodwin published a cookbook, Yashim Cooks Istanbul, based on the detective series, which was selected by NPR's Book Concierge as one of its Great Reads of the year. From January 2018 he has written the weekly Spectator column for Country Life magazine. Goodwin is the son of writers Jocasta Innes and John Michell. However, his parents separated before he was born. Goodwin did not meet his birth father until 1992, at the age of 28, and was raised by his mother's first husband, the film producer Richard B. Goodwin. One of his four half-sisters is the British TV producer and novelist Daisy Goodwin. He is married and has four children.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction
• The Gunpowder Gardens: Travels Through India and China in Search of Tea (1990); published in the US as A Time For Tea: Travels in China and India in Search of Tea (1991) • On Foot to the Golden Horn: A Walk to Istanbul (1993) • Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire (1998) • Greenback: The Almighty Dollar and the Invention of America (2003) • Yashim Cooks Istanbul: Culinary Adventures in the Ottoman Kitchen (2016)
Fiction
Fiction
• Yashim the Eunuch Investigator novels: • The Janissary Tree (2006) • The Snake Stone (2007) • The Bellini Card (2008) • An Evil Eye (2011) • The Baklava Club (2014)
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the heading Jason Charles Goodwin. His recorded language was English. He was the child of John Michell and Jocasta Innes.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1964
Jason Goodwin born at England.
Awards
• 1987 Spectator/Sunday Telegraph Young Writer of the Year (UK) • 1991 Thomas Cook Travel Writing Award (UK) The Gunpowder Gardens shortlisted • 1993 John Llewllyn Rhys Prize (UK) On Foot to the Golden Horn: A Walk to Istanbul • 2007 Edgar Award for Best Novel (US) The Janissary Tree • 2007 Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel (US) The Janissary Tree shortlisted • 2012 Library Dagger (UK) shortlist
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.About the School. Sussex House.
- 2."Cambridge Tripos results: History and education", The Times, 2 July 1985, p. 2.
- 3.NPR's Book Concierge.
- 4.Jason Goodwin, Author at Country Life.
- 5.Obituary: John Michell, The Daily Telegraph, 8 May 2009
- 6."John Michell, Counterculture Author Who Cherished Idiosyncrasy, Dies at 76", New York Times, May 2, 2009.
- 7.Obituary: Jocasta Innes, telegraph.co.uk, 23 April 2013
References
Citations
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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