Rafael Chirbes

Rafael Chirbes (27 June 1949 – 15 August 2015) was a Spanish novelist. He was born in Tavernes de la Valldigna in Valencia. He is the author of several novels, two of which have won the Premio de la Crítica de narrativa castellana - Crematorio (2007) and En la orilla (2013). The latter also won the Premio Nacional de Narrativa.

Chirbes is further known for his trilogy of novels dealing with postwar Spain (La larga marcha, La caída de Madrid and Los viejos amigos). He also wrote several collections of essays.His 2007 work Crematorio was made into an acclaimed television series in 2014.