Herbert Rosendorfer (Bolzano-Italy, 1934). After studying graphic arts, he decided to pursue law, and for almost fifteen years he served as a trial judge in Munich. He also stood out as a painter, composer and author of opera librettos. With The Builder of Ruins (1969; Acantilado, 2007), his first novel, he revealed himself as the most active defender of the capacity for fiction and fantastic realism. Cliff published Letters to Ancient China in 2004.