J.R. Thornton

Born in London, J. R. Thornton graduated from Harvard College in 2014 where he studied history, English, and Chinese. An internationally ranked junior tennis player, he competed for Harvard and on the professional circuit. He was a member of the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars, obtaining an M.A. from Tsinghua University in Beijing. His debut novel Beautiful Country (2016), which was loosely inspired by experiences he had living in Beijing as a teenager, was reviewed by literary luminaries such as Gary Shteyngart, Mo Yan, and Fareed Zakaria. The novel became a best-seller in China, and the film rights were subsequently purchased by WME/IMG. His second novel LUCIEN was first published in China in 2024 and ranked among the top 25 bestselling new novels of the year. He now lives in Italy, working for AC Milan.