James Lasdun was born in London and now lives in upstate New York. He has published three story collections, most recently Besieged, of which the title story was made into a film by Bernardo Bertolucci. He is also the author of three poetry collections, including Landscape with Chainsaw. Lasdun has taught fiction and poetry writing at Princeton University, New York University, and Columbia University. His awards include a Dylan Thomas Award for short fiction and a Guggenheim Fellowship for poetry.