Hernán Rivera Letelier (Chile, 1950) grew up and worked for many years in the saltpeter mines of Atacama, in northern Chile. His most well-known novel Queen Isabel Sang Rancheras catapulted him to fame in 1994. Winner of the Chilean National Book Award, it is one of the most widespread literary works in recent Chilean fiction. Two years later, he won the National Book Award again for his novel Ode to an Angel Standing on One Leg. His next two novels, Mirage of Love with a Musical Band and Trains to Purgatory, were also the recipients of important awards. All of them have been re-edited in Chile and Latin America several times and translated into numerous languages. In 2001, Rivera Letelier was named Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Literature by the French Ministry of Culture.