Peter Somerville-Large was born in Dublin in 1928 and was educated at St Columba’s College and Trinity College Dublin. His first job in Afghanistan was followed by a spell of travel in Asia during the early 1950s. Destinations for his travel books include Ireland, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, and Tibet. He has also written four thrillers, and a number of short stories, including two prize winners. He lives in Co. Carlow with his wife Gillian.