Born in Auckland in 1937, Vincent O'Sullivan is the author of the novels Let the River Stand, Believers to the Bright Coast, and most recently All This by Chance, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Acorn Prize for Fiction. He has written many plays and collections of short stories and poems, was joint editor of the five-volume Letters of Katherine Mansfield, has edited a number of major anthologies, and is the author of acclaimed biographies of John Mulgan and Ralph Hotere. He was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours list.