ohn Kay, writer and lecturer, was born in Park Royal, London and brought up in nearby Hammersmith. He attended a state grammar school in the West London suburbs, an area colloquially known as Metroland, made famous by the celebrated poet John Betjeman. After leaving school at eighteen, he began a career in banking, working for Barclays Bank in central London, a stone's throw from the famed Portobello Market, fashionable South Kensington and up-market Chelsea.After gaining an Honours degree in English Literature from the University of Reading, he later studied for a Master's at the University of Leicester. Having taught at a number of schools and colleges in the south of England, he retired early as Head of Department from one of the largest colleges in the country.