A theory dismissed in a documentary as the stuff of fiction sparked 48-year-old Ros Barber's engrossing first novel, The Marlowe Papers (Sceptre). It begins with the premise that the playwright Christopher Marlowe was not killed in a Deptford tavern in 1593, but survived in exile and became the secret author of William Shakespeare's works. Praised by Hilary Mantel and Benjamin Zephaniah, it was joint winner, pre-publication, of 2011's Hoffman prize, which honours the best book about Marlowe each year.

"Imagine," says Barber, "being the author of the greatest works of literature of all time, but not getting the credit for it. I thought, what a fantastic psychological story that would be." She penned the first draft in four years, weaving historical research and imaginative leaps into a thrilling alternate version of Marlowe's life, while completing research on the Marlovian theory for her a creative writing PhD at the University of Sussex. "Obviously there's a huge amount that's made up, but I wanted it to have a fairly solid skeleton."

By writing in blank verse, Barber has created "an authentic voice for Marlowe" that has an Elizabethan flavour but is easy to understand. Barber is author of three volumes of poetry, including 2008's Material, which was recommended by the Poetry Society, so composing within the constraints of iambic pentameter came easily.