Paul Simpson-Housley was born in Derbyshire, United Kingdom. He has pursued an academic career and has taught university in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Chile. Currently he is director of graduate geography and associate professor at York University in Toronto. His principal academic interests are literary landscapes and the psychology of geophysical disasters. His recently published books included Sacred Places and Profane Spaces: The Geographics of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (1991), Geography and Literature: A Meeting of the Disciplines (1987), and The Psychology of Geographical Hazards (1987).