Simon was born in London in 1933. After military service served as a subalten in the 16th/5th Lancers, at the age of 18, early friendships with the co-directors of the cult movie, Performance introduced him to the wider world of the arts, and actor Antony Quail encouraged him to write his first novel, Even With The Shutters Closed. He has been privileged in making writing and travel his primary occupations in has been fortunate in living in and experiencing a variety of cultures: Spain/Ibiza, Greece, France, Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent, the Dominican Republic and, finally, Cuba for four years before returning to his cottage in Herefordshire.