Keiichiro Hirano, born in Aichi Prefecture in 1975 and raised in Kita-Kyushu, made his debut in 1999 with his first novel, Nisshoku (L Eclipse), which was awarded the Akutagawa Prize. His other works include Funeral, Ripples the Dripping Clocks Make, Collapse, Dawn, The Only Form of Love, Fill in the Blanks and most recently The Invisible Labyrinth. His work has been translated into several languages.