Howard Jacobson, writer, critic and TV presenter was educated at Cambridge University and lectured at the University of Sydney from 1965 - 1967, before returning to England where he taught English at Selwyn College, 1969 -1972. From 1974-1981 he was a senior lecturer at Wolverhampton Polytechnic, an experience which provided the material for his first novel Coming From Behind (1983).
Married to an Australian for about three decades, Jacobson, though living in London, has continued to visit Australia. His novel Redback (1986) is partly set in Australia.
Aside from his extensive contributions to televsion programmes, Jacobson has been a regular columnist for The Independent and often writes for The Sunday Times. He won the Booker Prize in 2010 for The Finkler Question (2010).