The author of Ezra is most likely himself, an educated scribe who came out of Babylonia to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Nehemiah, a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes I of Persia, also wrote most of the book called by his name. He came to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. The events in Ezra happened from 538 to 457 B.C., with about a sixty year gap in the middle (during which Esther takes place). From 444 to 425 B.C., Nehemiah worked to rebuild the walls and realign the hearts of the people of Jerusalem. Both books commemorate a very important time in Jewish history: the return from exile. After being exiled in Babylon for decades, they finally returned to their Promised Land and rebuilt the capital, Jerusalem, with its walls and its temple.
