KIM THÚY has worked as a seamstress, interpreter, lawyer and restaurant owner. Ru is her first book, has been published in 15 countries and received several awards, including the Governor General’s Literary Award. Kim Thúy currently lives in Montreal, where she devotes herself to writing.

SHEILA FISCHMAN is the award-winning translator of some 150 contemporary novels from Quebec. In 2008 she was awarded the Molson Prize in the Arts. She is a Member of the Order of Canada and a chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec. She lives in Montreal.