Mary Ann Caws is a scholar of English, French, and comparative literature and serves as Distinguished Professor Emerita at the graduate school of the City University of New York. Caws is an Officier of Ordre des Palmes académiques and Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, and a former Trustee of the Alliance Francaise. She has translated numerous works from the French and is the editor of Pierre Reverdy, also available from NYRB Poets.

Michel Delville is a Belgian musician, writer, and critic. He teaches English and American literature at the University of Liège, where he also directs the Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Poetics. His awards and distinctions include the 1998 SAMLA Book Award, the Choice Outstanding Book Award, and the Léon Guérin Prize.