DAPHNE DU MAURIER (1907-1989) was an English author and playwright. Many of her works were adapted into films, including the novels
Rebecca and
Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now."
LUCY HUGHES-HALLETT is an award-winning cultural historian and critic. She is the author of biographies of Cleopatra and Gabriele d'Annunzio and of Heroes: A History of Hero Worship. Former television critic for the Evening Standard, she has long been a regular contributor to the books section of The Sunday Times (London). She has judged a number of literary prizes and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in London.