Sergio Pitol (Mexico, 1933) has written seven books of stories, the last of which, Waltz Mephisto (with the original Night title of Bukhara), he was awarded the Xavier Villaurrutia Prize for the best book of stories published in Mexico in 1982 ; five novels, The sound of a flute (1972), Floral Games (1982), The Love Parade (1984), awarded the Herralde Novel Prize, Taming Heron Divine (1988) and Married Life (1991) published by Anagram. These last three, although independent, works have been published as Carnival triptych. Are famous translations of Conrad, James, Jane Austen, Madox Ford, Gombrowicz and Firbank, among other authors. He has been a student in Rome, translator in Beijing and Barcelona, ​​university professor in Bristol, and has held diplomatic posts in Warsaw, Budapest, Paris, Moscow and Prague.
The Art of Fugue, true "summa" was chosen as the best non-fiction book published in Mexico in 1996. Later obtained, unanimously, the Mazatlan Prize for the best book of the year. And worse, in 1999 he received the very prestigious Juan Rulfo Prize for the complete work.