Ellen Alpsten was born and raised in the Kenyan highlands, before attending L'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. Whilst studying for her Msc in PPE she won the Grande École short story competition with her novella Meeting Mr. Gandhi and was encouraged to continue writing. Upon graduating, she worked as a producer and presenter for Bloomberg TV in London. She contributes to in ternational publications such as Vogue, Standpoint and Conde Nast Traveller. Her debut novel Tsarina was published by Bloomsbury in 2020. She lives in London with her husband and three children.