Frank Delaney, born and raised in Ireland, spent more than 25 years in England before moving to the United States in 2002. His first 'American' book was the New York Times Bestseller, Ireland - a Novel. His second, the non-fiction Simple Courage, was chosen as one of the top five books of the year by the American Library Association. A former Booker Prize Judge and Literary Director of the Edinburgh Festival, and a renowned BBC news and arts broadcaster, he has interviewed more than 4,000 of the world's most important writers, and created landmark programs and passionate documentaries on subjects including Joyce, Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Hemingway, Mailer, Matisse, Van Gogh, and a long-running series on the vitality and organic growth of the English language.