Jani Virk (1962) is the author of nine novels, six books of short stories, a book of poems, a collection of essays and two works for young adults. He is also a translator of such authors as Gerhard Roth, Elias Canetti, H. C. Artmann, Thomas Bernhard, Goethe and Heinrich Böll. He has been active as a journalist for over three decades and currently works as a the editor of the arts and culture programme at the Slovenian national television. He is also the author of many documentary and travel films. Virk has received a number of national and international awards for writing, including the Prešeren Fund Award, Slovenia's highest award for artistic achievement, for his collection of short stories A View of Tycho Brahe (Pogled na Tycho Brahe, 1998). His books have been published in Mexico, Serbia, Poland and Croatia,and his stories have appeared in journals in many other languages.