Jonathan Coe was born in Birmingham, UK, in 1961. He began writing at an early age. His first surviving story, a detective thriller called The Castle of Mystery, was written when he was eight. His first published novel was The Accidental Woman in 1987, but it was his fourth, What a Carve Up!, that established his reputation as one of England's finest comic novelists, winning the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1985 and being translated into many languages. Seven bestselling novels and many other awards have followed, including the 2005 Samuel Johnson Prize for Like A Fiery Elephant, a biography of the experimental novelist, B. S. Johnson. Jonathan lives in London with his wife and two daughters.

Chiara Coccorese, born in Naples, Italy, in 1982, is an artist and photographer who explores the issues of existence, time and spirituality. Her works have been exhibited in numerous museums and art shows in Italy and abroad, among them: National Archaeological Museum; Museo della Permanente; Palazzo Ducale; Museo MADRE; Pristine Gallery; Galleria Dino Morra; FotoGrafia Festival; Galleria Paolo Erbetta; Art Raw gallery in New York; and many more.