Marguerite Yourcenar (1903–1987) was a Belgian-born novelist, essayist, and short-story writer who became the first woman elected to the Académie Française. Educated in French Flanders, she traveled extensively before permanently settling in the United States and establishing her home, Petite Plaisance, in Northeast Harbor, Maine, in 1950. Her literary works, known for their classical style and psychological depth, often reimagine historical figures and eras, with Memoirs of Hadrian (1951) and The Abyss (1968) among her most acclaimed novels. 

John Knight is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Paris Review, New York magazine, Nautilus, and Music + Literature. He holds a PhD in comparative literature and serves as the executive director of Historic Harrisville, Inc., in New Hampshire, where he lives with his wife and children.