Fiona Mozley was born in Hackney but grew up in York and studied at Cambridge before moving to Buenos Aires for a year—without speaking any Spanish. After briefly working at a literary agency in London, she moved back to York to complete a PhD in medieval studies. She also has a weekend job at the Little Apple Bookshop in York. Elmet is her first novel and has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017.