Born in England in 1939, Gavin Bantock wrote his long poem 'Christ' while at New College, Oxford. The poem won the Richard Hillary Award for 1964 and the Poetry Society's Award for 1966. Since 1969, when he received an Eric Gregory Award, he has lived in Japan, teaching drama at Reitaku University. In 1998 he was awarded third prize in the Arvon Foundation International Poetry Competition.