D M Thomas was born in Cornwall in 1935. After reading English at New College, Oxford, he became a teacher until he became a full-time writer. His novels include The Flute-Player, Ararat, Swallow, Sphinx, Summit, Flying Into Love and Eating Pavlova. He has also published memoirs, several volumes of poetry and translations of Pushkin and Anna Akhmatova. He now lives in Cornwall.