Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Bogotá, 1973) is the author of the short story collections “Los amantes de Todos los Santos” and “Canciones para el incendio” (Colombian Narrative Library Prize), as well as the novels “Los informantes”, “Historia secreta de Costaguana”, “El ruido de las cosas al caer” (Alfaguara Prize, Gregor von Rezzori Prize, International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award), “Las reputaciones” (Royal Spanish Academy Prize, Archbishop Juan de San Clemente Prize, Casa da América Latina de Lisboa Prize), “La forma de las ruinas” (Casino da Póvoa Literary Prize), and “Volver la vista atrás” (Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Novel Prize, Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, Casino de Santiago European Novel Prize). Vásquez has also published three collections of literary essays, “El arte de la distorsión”, “Viajes con un mapa en blanco, and “La traducción del mundo”; a short biography of Joseph Conrad, “El hombre de ninguna parte”; a collection of political writings, “Los desacuerdos de paz”; and a poetry collection, “Cuaderno de septiembre”.  

He has translated works by Joseph Conrad and Victor Hugo, among others, and has won the Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize twice. In 2012, he won the Prix Roger Caillois in Paris for his body of work. He is a knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France and the Order of Isabella the Catholic in Spain. In 2022, he was honored as an International Writer by the Royal Society of Literature in London. Juan Gabriel Vasquez’s books are published in 30 languages. He is a columnist for the Spanish newspaper El País.