Cornelius Medvei was born in 1977 and grew up in Suffolk and London. He studied French and German at Oxford and then went to China to work as a teacher. He was awarded an MA in Chinese from Sheffield University in 2002. Cornelius currently lives and works in London. As well as writing stories, he translates Chinese poetry, directs and produces short films, and teaches French and English as a foreign language at universities in and around London.