Born on November 19, 1922 in Mount Vernon, New York, Mark Harris received a doctorate in American studies at the University of Minnesota in 1956. He has taught in the language arts departments of San Francisco State College, Purdue University, the California Institute of the Arts, Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and the University of Pittsburgh. Currently, he is professor of English at Arizona State University, Tempe. Mark Harris is a member of the Authors Guild, the Writers Guild of America, and the Dramatists Guild. He has written numerous novels, nonfiction works, dramatic works, articles, reviews, and essays. Mark Harris married the former Josephine Horen, and they have three children: Hester Jill, Anthony Wynn, and Henry Adam.