Norman Davies was for many years Professor of History at the School of Slavonic Studies, University of London. He is the author of the acclaimed Vanished Kingdoms: The History of Half-Forgotten Europe and the Number One bestseller Europe: A History. His previous books, which include Rising '44:The Battle for Warsaw, The Isles: A History and God's Playground: A History of Poland, have been translated worldwide.

From 1997 to 2004 he was Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford; he is now Professor at the Jagiellonian University at Kraków, and an Honorary Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford. He is also a Fellow of the British Academy. He lives in Oxford and Kraków.