Tom Rachman is an English-born, Vancouver-raised novelist and journalist. He has published four novels including his 2010 Giller Prize-nominated novel The Perfectionists, as well as its follow-up The Rise & Fall of Great Powers. His journalism work has taken him all over the world and he has reported from India, South Korea, Egypt and elsewhere. His writing has appeared in The Globe & Mail,The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Rachman's latest novel The Italian Teacher, is the story of a Pinch Bavinsky, the son of a famous painter who is striving to gain his father's attention and approval. Pinch unsuccessfully attempts to outdo his father's artistic achievements and must find a new way to deal with the issues caused by his father's cruelty and absence.