Saleem Kidwai was born on 7th August 1951 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. He was a medieval historian, gay rights activist, and translator. He completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Delhi University and began teaching there in 1973. Kidwai was a Professor of History at Ramjas College, University of Delhi, until 1993 and thereafter an independent scholar.
He was published with Ruth Vanita as co-editor of “Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History”. He translated singer Malika Pukhraj's autobiography, “Song Sung True”. His other translations include “The Mirror of Wonders”, a collection of short stories by Syed Rafiq Hussain. Kidwai has also translated two novels of Quratulain Hyder – “Chandni Begum” and “Safina-e-Gham-e-Dil” as “Ship of Sorrows”. Saleem Kidwai suffered a cardiac arrest on 30 August 2021 and passed away in a hospital in Lucknow