James Hawes studied German at University of Oxford and University College London, then held lectureships in German at the universities of Maynooth, Sheffield, and Swansea. He has published six novels with Jonathan Cape. Speak for England (2005) predicted Brexit; it has been adapted for the screen by Andrew Davies, though not yet filmed. His last book, Englanders and Huns, was shortlisted for the Political Books of the Year Awards in 2015. He leads the MA in creative writing at Oxford Brookes University.