Paul Levy has had several careers – as a lapsed academic (recipient of a little-used PhD from Harvard), writer (especially about Lytton Strachey and the Bloomsbury Group), as a prize-winning food writer and journalist, as a literary, theatre and visual arts critic, broadcaster, television presenter, biographer, memoir writer, and minor collector of pictures, wine and books.

He lives with his wife of 40+ years, the art historian and local parish councillor, Penelope Marcus, in an ancient Cotswold farmhouse bordering Blenheim. Until recently they had three ageing cats named Fish, Chips and Mushy Peas. The household now includes three new kittens – Mustard, Ketchup and Pickle.

A dual citizen of the UK and USA,  he is pictured here with his late cousin (also Paul) and their Polish-born, via Whitechapel and Cleveland, OH, great-grandfather.