Ani Ilkov was born on January 11th, 1957 in Ruzhintsi, Bulgaria. He holds a degree in Bulgarian philology from St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia. He has worked as an editor and journalist, and has served as a visiting professor in Great Britain and India. Ilkov is a co-founder of the respected weekly literary gazette Literaturen Vestnik. He is the author of 10 books, including eight poetry collections, most recently Collected (2011).