Shiv K. Kumar has donned many hats and lived many lives: poet, novelist, short-story writer, playwright, translator and critic. He was born in Lahore, where he received his school and college education. He obtained his doctorate in English Literature from the University of Cambridge. He was Professor of English at Osmania University and the Central University of Hyderabad. He was also Visiting Professor of English in various British, American, European, and Australian Universities. Shiv K. Kumar has published thirteen volumes of poetry, five novels, two collections of short stories, a play, and this translation of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poetry into English. His own poems have appeared in several renowned newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Poetry (London), Western Humanities , among others-and been broadcast on BBC. In 1978, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (London). He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1987 for his collection of poems Trapfalls in the Sky. In 2001, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to literature.
