Brendan Ball spent his formative years as a Prisoner of Conscience in a series of variably educational institutions before leaving a famous seat of learning (for preservation of sanity) to become a Failed Seditionist and Unemployed Poet. He went into financial exile 15 years ago teaching the English language for coins and scraps of bread, but is now a recognised Warlord of Pedagogy in the Moscow area. His first novel, 'Thieves in the Night', was published in 2014, and a themed triptych of short stories, 'Savages', in 2015. A further novel, 'The Cretin Gene', a satire on nationalism, is published on 23rd June (UK "Independence Day") 2018.