Rupert Christiansen was born in London and educated at the universities of Cambridge and Columbia. As well as several books of cultural history, he has written about opera for many publications, including the Spectator, the Observer, the Times Literary Supplement and Vanity Fair. Since 1966 he has been opera critic of the Daily Telegraph and a regular broadcaster. He also sits on the editorial board of Opera magazine and the jury for the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1997.

Rupert Christiansen was born in London and educated at the universities of Cambridge and Columbia. As well as several books of cultural history, he has written about opera for many publications, including the Spectator, the Observer, the Times Literary Supplement and Vanity Fair. Since 1966 he has been opera critic of the Daily Telegraph and a regular broadcaster. He also sits on the editorial board of Opera magazine and the jury for the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1997.