David Mitchell was born in 1969 in Southport, England. He holds an MA in Comparative Literature from the University of Kent and has published several best-selling books. His best-known works include Ghostwritten , Black Swan Meadow , The Invisible Hours and the sequel The Slade's Fairy . His novel Cloud Atlas , which was made into a film of the same name in 2012, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2007, Time magazine included David Mitchell in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.