Manuel Rivas (1957) is the author of poetry, fiction and essays. His works of fiction include El Lápiz del Carpintero; ¿Qué me quieres, amor? — which won the National Narrative Prize in 1996; El último día de Terranova and Vivir sin permiso. He has also enjoyed great success in his essays, with works such as El periodismo es un cuento; El secreto de la tierra; Los libros arden mal (2006 National Prize for Criticism in Galician), and Contra todo esto. A regular contributor to El País newspaper, he is a committed environmental activist, and was involved in setting up Greenpeace in Spain and the Nunca Máis eco-activist platform.