Allan Donaldson was born in Taber, Alberta, but grew up in Woodstock, New Brunswick. He studied English literature at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and the University of London, and he spent a teaching career in the English department at UNB. He is also the author of a book of short stories, Paradise Siding, and a novel, The Case Against Owen Williams. He lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick.