Born in Gijón, Spain, PACO IGNACIO TAIBO II has lived in Mexico City since 1958, when his family fled Spanish fascism. Taibo is a distinguished Mexican historian, professor, journalist, labor activist, and world-renowned writer, widely celebrated for his detective novels. He is president of the AIEP (International Association of Writers of Detective Stories), and is credited with creating the neo-detective genre in Latin America, which he says sprung from the sociopolitical emergencies that characterized the 1960s. A prolific writer, Taibo has published more than fifty books, among them novels, short stories, and essays. His numerous literary honors include two Dashiell Hammett prizes, one Planeta prize for the best historical novel, and the Bancarella Prize for his biography of Che Guevara.