Vassilis Alexakis was born in Athens and divides his time between Paris, Athens, and Tinos. The author of over fifteen works of fiction in Greek and French, he has won numerous awards for his work in both languages. His novel Foreign Words (Les mots étrangers) was translated by the author into Greek as Oi ksenes lekseis and in 2004 it was awarded the Greek prize for best novel of the year. His most recent novel to appear in French, Ap. J-C., was awarded le Grand prix du roman de l'Académie Française in 2007.