Charles Harrison Wallace writes that his background is extremely varied: born of naval parents, he has lived France, Germany, Iran, Kenya, Scandinavia, Baffin Island, and England, and has worked as a cavalry officer, book dealer, newspaper sub-editor, management consultant, entrepreneur, art historian, and translator. He has an M.A. in English Language and Literature from Oxford, and currently teaches at the London College of Fashion.

His translation of the Seafarer reflects a long term interest in the poem.