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Biography
British

David Nicholls

1966

David Nicholls is the author of One Day (2009) — a novel that follows two people, Dexter and Emma, on the same date (15 July) every year for twenty years — which sold over 5 million copies, was adapted as a film and a Netflix series, and became one of the most beloved British love stories of the twenty-first century. His novels — including Starter for Ten, The Understudy, Us, and You Are Here — combine romantic comedy with genuine emotional depth and social observation.

Past sales0
PeriodContemporary
NationalityBritish
1. Biography

A short life of the author

David Nicholls (b. 1966) was born on 30 November 1966 in Eastleigh, Hampshire, England. He studied English and Drama at the University of Bristol and trained as an actor at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. He worked as a screenwriter — adapting Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd for television and film — before achieving success as a novelist.

Life and Career

Starter for Ten (2003) — about a working-class boy who goes to university in 1985 and joins the University Challenge team — was his debut, adapted as a film (2006) starring James McAvoy.

One Day (2009) — which visits Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley on 15 July each year from 1988 to 2007, tracing their evolving relationship from university to middle age — was a phenomenon. It sold over 5 million copies, was translated into forty languages, and was adapted as a film (2011, starring Anne Hathaway) and a Netflix series (2024, starring Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall). The novel’s structure — showing how two people change over time, moving toward and away from each other — gives it a cumulative emotional power.

Us (2014) — about a man who takes his wife on a European tour to save their marriage — was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Sweet Sorrow (2019) was a coming-of-age novel. You Are Here (2024) — about two people who meet on a hiking trip — confirmed his ability to write love stories that avoid sentimentality.

Major Works and Themes

Nicholls writes about ordinary British people navigating love, class, and time. His fiction is funny, warm, and emotionally precise — and unafraid of sadness.

Key Works

  • Starter for Ten (2003)
  • One Day (2009)
  • Us (2014)

Collecting Nicholls

Starter for Ten (2003, Hodder & Stoughton) — his debut — brings $20–$50.

One Day (2009, Hodder) brings $20–$40. Nicholls signs at UK events.