Almudena Grandes

is considered on of the most authoritative voices in contemporary Spanish fiction. Born in Madrid in 1960, her first novel Le età di Lulù (Guanda, 2001) was a literary event and became an international best-seller that inspired a movie. Later on, La sonrisa vertical (1989) won an important award and made her famous throughout Europe. Her books, now pulished in Italian by Guanda, include: Modelli di donna (2001), Gli anni difficili (2003), Troppo amore (2004), Il ragazzo che apriva la fila (2007), Cuore di ghiaccio (2008). Her latest, Inés e l’allegria—a story set during the Spanish Civil War, whose events are told through the eyes of a woman—is due out in September.