Magnus Florin, who was born in Uppsala in 1955, was first published in 1989 with Berattelsens gang (The Narrative Flow). This was followed by Tror du pa denna historia? (Do you believe this story?) in 1992, and both were collections of short prose pieces and poems. He then published this novel Tradgarden in 1995, as well as Syskonen (Brothers and Sisters) in 1998 and Cirkulation (Circulation) in 2001. His latest novels, Leendet (The Smile) and Randerna (The Stripes) were published in 2005 and 2010. Florin has also worked as a librettist for the operas Goya (Gothenburg Opera, 2010) and Hemligheter (Secrets) which was about Swedenborg (Malmo Opera, 2011). An opera staged the Drottningholm Theatre in 1999 was based on The Garden. He has worked on dramatisations, including Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time for Swedish Radio in 2009). From 1980 to 1990 he worked as dramaturg (literary consultant and researcher) at Sweden's leading theatre, the Dramaten in Stockholm. From 2000 to 2006 he was the head of radio drama at Radio Sweden, and in 2009 he returned to the Dramaten as chief dramaturg.