Dolores Payas was born in Spain but now leads a semi-nomadic existence, sharing her time between Beijing and Barcelona, with periods in Switzerland, England and Greece. A dedicated autodidact, her fields of interest are ample. She is passionate about languages, literature and music. She loves country houses; the older the better. All time stands still when she is in her garden or her kitchen. She has written for the silver screen and directed two feature films. She is a translator, publishes the occasional cultural article, and has written two novels. She has two daughters and one granddaughter. Amanda Hopkinson is currently Professor of Literary Translation at City University London, as well as Deputy President of English PEN, and a trustee of both the Welsh Literature Exchange and Modern Poetry in Translation. She rides horses and bicycles, has four grown children, eight-and-a-half grandchildren (at time of writing), a husband, a cat and a tortoise.