Paolo Cognetti was born in Milan in 1978. His literary career began with short stories collections published by minimum fax in Italy. He is the author of Il ragazzo selvatico (Terre di Mezzo, 2013 - translated in 18 countries), Le otto montagne (Einaudi, 2016), Senza mai arrivare in cima (Einaudi, 2018, - translated in 19 countries), La felicità del lupo (Einaudi, 2021 - sold in more than 20 countries) and Giù nella valle (Einaudi, 2023). In 2021 he edited L’Antonia (Ponte alle Grazie), a book about the life and works of the poet Antonia Pozzi. He is the protagonist and voice-over of the documentary and podcast Paolo Cognetti. Sogni di Grande Nord, released in 2021. With Le otto montagne, translated in 40 countries, he won the 2017 Premio Strega, Premio Strega Giovani and Prix Médicis étranger. The novel was also adapted into a movie of the same name in 2022 and won the Jury Prize at Cannes Festival 2022 and four David di Donatello Awards in 2023, among which the one for Best Picture. He directed his first film Fiore Mio (2024).