Juan Gabriel Vásquez is recognised as one of the leading writers of contemporary Spanish-language fiction. His work has received numerous international awards, including the Alfaguara Prize, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Royal Spanish Academy Award, the Mario Vargas Llosa Biennial Novel Prize and the Lee Ho Chul Literary Peace Prize.

In addition to his work as a novelist, Vásquez is a columnist for the newspaper EL PAÍS and has translated works by authors such as Joseph Conrad and Victor Hugo into Spanish. His books are published in 30 languages and in more than 50 countries.