Rupert Christiansen was born in London and educated at King's College, Cambridge. He has written several books, including Prima Donna, Romantic Affinities, Paris Babylon, The Visitors, Arthur Hugh Clough, Pocket Guide to Opera and The Complete Book of Aunts. He is currently opera critic and arts columnist for the Daily Telegraph and dance critic for The Mail on Sunday. He has contributed to many newspapers and magazines. In 1997, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.