Alastair Reid was born on March 22, 1926 in Wigtown, Galloway, Scotland, UK. He was married to Leslie Clark. He died on September 21, 2014 in Scotland, UK.
He wrote for the New Yorker for 40 years, and spent many years traveling in and writing about South America. He wrote poetry, travelogues, reviews, children's books, and essays.
He served in the Royal Navy during WWII, mostly in the Indian Ocean. After the war he earned a classics degree at the University of St. Andrews.