Fred D'Aguiar was born in London but raised in Guyana. He has worked as a poet, critic and dramatist. His first collection of poetry, Mama Dot (1985), won a number of prizes, and was followed by Airy Hall (1989). His most recent collections are British Subjects (1993), Bill of Rights (1998) and English Sampler: Selected Poems (1998). He is currently lecturing in the USA.