Ophelia Field was born and raised in Australia and London, and educated at Christ Church, Oxford and the London School of Economics. Aside from her career as a freelance writer, she has also worked for over a decade as an advocate for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. She has been an expert consultant to, among others, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Ophelia has reviewed for the Times Literary Supplement and Sunday Telegraph, as well as publishing numerous articles related to both her historical and human rights work.