Héctor Abad Faciolince was born in Medellin (Colombia) in 1958. He studied Modern Languages and Literature at the University of Turin (Italy). In addition to essays, translations and literary criticism he has published, among others, the following books: The Joy of Being Awake (1996), Recipes for Sad Women (2012), Fragmentos de amor furtivo (Alfaguara, 1998), Angosta (2003; Alfaguara, 2020), Oblivion: A Memoir (2012), La Oculta (Alfaguara, 2015) and Lo que fue presente (Alfaguara, 2019). With his third novel, Basura (2000; Debolsillo, 2017), he won the 1st Casa de América Prize for Innovative Fiction in Spain. He has also published a book of poems, Testamento involuntario (2011), one of essays, Las formas de la pereza (Aguilar, 2007), and another of fiction, Traiciones de la memoria (Alfaguara, 2009). There are translations of his books into more than fifteen languages.