Diana Athill was born in 1917 and studied at Oxford. He helped André Deutsch to launch and develop the publishing house that bore his name, where he worked as an editor table for nearly forty years until the publishing house was sold in 1985. She is also the author writes memoirs and novels: After a funeral, Make believe, Do not look at me like that. In January 2009 he was awarded the Costa Biography Award for Somewhere towards the end. He lives in London.