Moniza Alvi was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1954 and went to England when
she was a few months old. She grew up in Hertfordshire and studied at the
Universities of York and London.
Peacock Luggage, a book of poems by Moniza Alvi and Peter Daniels, was published as a result of the two poets winning together the Poetry Business Prize in 1991. Since then, Moniza Alvi has written four poetry collections. The Country at My Shoulder (1993) led to her being selected for the Poetry Society's New Generation Poets promotion.
After a long career as a secondary school teacher, Moniza Alvi now tutors for the Open College of the Arts and lives in London. She is presently working on a series of poem-myths, inspired by Kipling's Just So Stories. In 2002 she received a Cholmondeley Award for her poetry.
Contributed by Andrea Sirotti