Born in 1952, Paul Hoggart grew up in Hull, Leicester, and Birmingham, where he attended King Edward VI School, Edgbaston. He studied English at the University of York; taught English, Drama and Media Studies at schools and colleges in Leicester, London, and Kenya; and was a tutor in Popular Culture for the Open University. Paul was a regular television columnist and critic for The Times and he has also written for The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, Radio Times, Broadcast, The Stage, The Observer, GQ, and Punch. He lives with his wife Elizabeth and their three children in north London. A Man Against a Background of Flames is his first novel, and he’s currently writing the sequel.