Kenneth C. Steven was born in Glasgow in 1968 but moved to Highland Perthshire during his schooldays. He has studied and taught in Norway, and translated from both Norwegian and Sami.

A widely published poet, novelist and children’s author, his collections of poems include Evensong (2011), Island: Collected Poems (2009), Making the Known World New (2009), and Iona (2000). His translation of Lars Saaybe Christensen's Half Brother was a finalist for the 2004 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.