Luis Landero was born in Alburquerque
(Badajoz, Spain) in 1948. He has a degree in Spanish Language and Literature
from the Complutense University. He has worked as a literature teacher in the
School of Dramatic Arts in Madrid and has been a visiting professor of Yale
University. His successful literary debut took place in 1989 with the novel Juegos de la edad tardía (Games of the Late Age, Critics Prize and National Narrative Prize in 1990), and it was followed by Caballeros de fortuna (The Fortunate Knights, 1994), El mágico aprendiz (The Magician’s Apprentice, 1998), El guitarrista (The Guitarist,
2002), and Hoy, Júpiter (Today, Jupiter, 2007). This novel won
the XIV Arcebispo Juan de San Clemente
Prize. Landero, who has been translated into several languages, is one of
the most important Spanish narrators of the last decades and one of the
brightest literary essayists. He is the author of Entre líneas: el cuento o la vida (Between the Lines: Story vs. Life, 2000), where he uses the short
story to meditate on the art of fiction, and of ¿Cómo le corto el pelo, caballero? (How Shall I Cut Your Hair, Sir?, 2004), a compilation of his best
articles.