This Spanish poet, essayist, and novelist was born in Madrid in 1961. He has made a name for himself in the Spanish literary world, and his work has also aroused significant interest internationally. His work, especially his novels and essays, has been translated into several languages. His first novel, Raro (Strange- 1995), was an amazing success, not only in Spain, but also in countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Colombia. His next two novels, Nunca le des la mano a un pistolero zurdo (Never Shake Hands with a Left-Handed Gunman) and Dónde crees que vas y quién te crees que eres (Where Do You Think You’re Going? And Who Do You Think You Are?), were both published in 1996. These works confirmed him as an indispensable writer for the new generations. Prado is an excellent biographer who has written about contemporary writers and poets such as Teresa Klivesen and Anna Ajmátova, and has also written portraits of other authors such as Osip Mandelstam, Ingeborg Bachmann and Bob Dylan. Among the essays he’s written are, Siete maneras de decir manzana (Seven Ways to Say Apple) 2000 and Los nombres de Antígona (The Names of Antigone), which won him the José Ortega y Gasset Essay and Humanities Award in 2002. Other works of his include his memoirs, A la sombra del angel: trece años con Alberti (In the Angel’s Shadow: Thirteen Years with Alberti) 2002, and his short stories collections Jamás saldré vivo de este mundo (I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive) 2003 and La sangre nunca dice la verdad (Blood Never Tells the Truth) 2007. His poetic works have been compiled in the following volumes: Ecuador (1986-2001), Iceberg, published in 2002, and Marea humana (Human Tide), 2006. This last book won him the Generación del ’27 8th International Poetry Award. Benjamín Prado’s literary talent has also been acknowledged with a Hiperión Poetry Award and with the 14th Andalucía Novel Award 1999 for his book No sólo el fuego (Not Just the Fire). In 2000, he published the novel La nieve está vacía (Snow is Empty) and his latest work, Mala gente que camina (Bad People Walking) was published in 2006. In addition to being an important figure in the literary world, Benjamín Prado is also a key figure in the world of music. He has worked with singer-songwriter Joaquín Sabina on more than one occasion. That creative experience is palpable in albums such as El hombre del traje gris (The Man in the Grey Suit) and Vinagre y rosas (Vinegar and Roses). And, like Sabina, Prado admits that he’s a soccer fan and has been known to claim that soccer is the only thing that helps him relax.