Fernando Ariza was born in Madrid in 1978. He studied literature at Complutense University and earned a doctorate in Spanish Literature from the same university. He currently works as a lecturer in literature. His research has led to four published books and numerous articles about contemporary Spanish literature. He has been invited to various universities in the United States (Columbia, Nueva York, Austin). He entered the world of fiction with two fictionalised biographies of Bécquer and Valle-Inclán. He has also been a literary critic for various media. In his spare time he devours cookbooks and tends his indoor plants. Sleeping City is his first novel.