Bruce Arnold is a writer and journalist. He has published 23 books and is former chief critic of the Irish Independent, writing about art, theatre, music, and politics. He was born in London, educated in the Cotswolds and then went to university in Dublin, reading Modern Languages. He is a Fellow of Trinity College. In 2003, he was made an Officer of the British Empire; the honour, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II, was for services to journalism and to Anglo-Irish relations. He earned a Doctorate of Letters from University College, Dublin, part of the National University of Ireland. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an honorary academician of the Royal Hibernian Academy.