Daniel Metcalfe was born in London in 1979. After graduating in Classics at Oxford University, he spent over a year in Iran and Central Asia, which inspired his first book, Out of Steppe: The Lost Peoples of Central Asia. It was shortlisted for the Banff Mountain Book Award 2009 and the Dolman Travel Award 2010. His recent travels in Portuguese-speaking Africa and across the African continent have given rise to Blue Dahlia, Black Gold: A Journey into Angola. Daniel has written for the Economist, Guardian, Financial Times, Condé Nast Traveller and the Literary Review.