Edwin Muir was one of the chief Scottish poets of his day writing in English, as well as being known as a literary critic and translator. Born the son of a crofter, Muir was educated in Kirkwall. Following his marriage to Willa Anderson in 1919, he went to London where her wrote literary reviews and later began teaching English.

His status as a poet came with the publication of The Voyage (1946) and The Labyrinth (1949). His Collected Poems was published in 1960.

Muir was also known for his early translations of Kafka, in collaboration with his Willa Anderson, that appeared in the 1930s and secured Kafka’s reputation in England. Muir also translated the work of Sholem Asch, Hermann Broch, and Lion Feuchtwanger. His autobiography was published in 1954.