Henry Marsh was born in Broughty Ferry and now lives in Midlothian. He began writing on the death of a friend, a Gaelic Bard, Donald MacDonald of South Lochboisdale. His first collection of poems, A First Sighting, was published in 2,005. Seven other collections have followed, A Turbulent Wake (2007),  A Trail of Dreaming (2009), The Hammer and the Fire (2011), Wayfarers (2011), Painted Trees (2012),  A Voyage to Babylon (2013), and The Bedrock, poems on themes from the Great Tapestry of Scotland (2015).

'Henry Marsh is one of the finest poets writing in Scotland today. His delicate, beautifully expressed verse has already achieved critical and popular acclaim. Whatever the topic of the poem the voice is consistently wise, and gentle too; the effect is both subtle and moving.' Alexander McCall Smith