Born in 1973 in a small village in northern Vietnam, Nguyen Phan Que Mai experienced the devastation of war from an early age.  

An acclaimed author and poet, she has won some of Vietnam’s most prestigious literary prizes. She is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, and her work has been translated and published in several countries. She has won numerous awards, including the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. When Mountains Sing quickly became a bestseller and is being translated all over the world. 

With a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, she is an advocate for the rights of disadvantaged groups and was named by Forbes Vietnam as one of the 20 Inspiring Women of 2021.