Arnon Grunberg (1971) debuted at the age of 23 with the wry, humorous novel novel Blue Mondays, which brought him instant success. Some of his other titles are Silent Extras, The Asylum Seeker, The Jewish Messiah, Moedervlekken (Birthmarks), and Tirza. Under the pseudonym Marek van der Jagt he published the successful The Story of my Baldness, and Gstaad 95-98, as well as the essay Monogaam (Monogamous). Grunberg also writes plays, essays and travel columns. His work has won him several literary awards, among which the AKO Literature Prize for Phantom Pain and The Asylum Seeker, and both the Libris Literature Prize and the Flemish Golden Owl Award for Tirza. His work has been translated into over 25 languages. He has contributed to numerous international newspapers, including The New York Times, Times (London), L'Espresso, and Die Zeit. Arnon Grunberg lives and works in New York.