GUY GAVRIEL KAY. A fantasy writer with an ever-increasing international following, Guy was born and raised in Canada.

Guy visited England during 1974-75, where he assisted Christopher Tolken with the editing of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Returning to Canada, Guy studied law at the University of Toronto. He was admitted to the Bar in Ontario in 1981.

Perhaps not surprisingly then, the "brightly lit entrance to Convocation Hall" and the "shaded paths" of the University set off the battle between light and dark powers in The Summer Tree (1984 - the first text of the Fionavar Tapestry. The trilogy, which also comprises The Wandering Fire and The Darkest Road (both 1986) has since been translated into twelve languages.

Guy worked both as script consultant for and principal writer of CBC Radio's award-winning series The Scales of Justice. Writing much of his work abroad, he has travelled to some of our own world's more nostalgic locales. The islands of Crete (Greece) and New Zealand are only a few of these.

In works like Tigana (1990), A Song for Arbonne (1992) and The Lions of Al-Rassan (1995) Guy's thematic exploration of justice often combines with romantic and dark, magical elements. His innovative yet accessible style employs an entertaining suspense of both charming and haunting calibre.

Guy Gavriel Kay currently lives in Toronto with his wife and son.

Reading: Kay, The Darkest Road (Collins: 1986); The Lions of Al-Rassan (Penguin: 1995); The Summer Tree (McClelland and Stewart: 1990); Tigana (Penguin: 1990).