Now living on the east coast of Scotland, Chris Arthur was born in Belfast and grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. His critically acclaimed essays explore aspects of the natural world, family, memory, loss and meaning. He has held postdoctoral fellowships at the universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews, and taught for many years at the University of Wales. In 2014 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund. Among his awards are the Akegarasu Haya Prize, the Monroe K. Spears Essay Prize, and the Michael Steinberg Nonfiction Prize.