Rupert Christiansen was born in London and educated at King's College, Cambridge. After further study as a Fulbright scholar at Columbia University, he has written several books including Prima Donna, Romantic Affinities, Paris Babylon, The Visitors, and Arthur Hugh Clough. In 1997, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Beth Brophy is the author of the novel My Ex-Best Friend (Simon & Schuster, July 2003). She has been an adjunct professor of journalism at the American University and Georgetown.