Hari Kunzru was born in London to an Indian father of Kashmiri Pandit descent and a British mother. He grew up in Essex and was educated at Bancroft’s School. After completing his undergraduate studies in English at Wadham College, Oxford, he pursued an MA in Philosophy and Literature at the University of Warwick. He worked with the American magazine Wired UK from 1995 to 1997, transitioned to travel journalism, and started writing for prominent newspapers like The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. He held the position of travel correspondent for Time Out magazine and worked as a TV presenter, conducting artist interviews for the Sky TV electronic arts program, The Lounge. Kunzru has been a contributing editor to Mute, a magazine centered around culture and technology. In 1999, he was honored as The Observer Young Travel Writer of the Year, and in 2004, he became a member of the Executive Council of English PEN.