Irwin Allan Sealy was born  in Allahabad and educated at Lucknow and Delhi. He lived twenty years in the US, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, returning to write the Trotter-nama. His other novels include Hero, The Everest Hotel, The Brainfever Bird, and Red. He is the author of the memoir The Small Wild Goose Pagoda, the travel books From Yukon to Yucatan and The China Sketchbook, and a book of poems, Zelaldinus. His newest novel is A-so-ca. He lives in Dehra Dun.