Born in Dublin in 1971 to an Irish mother and English-Norwegian father, Olaf Tyaransen spent his formative years in the west of Ireland.

He began writing for Hot Press magazine in the early nineties, and for more than two decades covered music, politics, sex and popular culture as the magazine’s official writer-at-large. Dubbed the ‘enfant terrible of Irish journalism’ by the Sunday Times, he hit the headlines in 1997 when he stood as a Cannabis Legalisation Party candidate in Ireland’s general election. He has twice been named Journalist of the Year at the Irish Magazine Awards. His journalism has also appeared in Rolling Stone, Penthouse, O, Mojo and many other international publications.

He is the author of five previous books, including a poetry collection and an autobiography. He also wrote the film Don’t You Know Who I Am, based on his own short story, which was broadcast on RTÉ in 2014.

The late author and cannabis smuggler Howard Marks once said of him: ‘Olaf could charm the truth out of Satan. He should work for the DEA… It’s a blessing they’d never let him in.’