David Bezmozgis was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1973. His first book, Natasha and Other Stories, won a regional Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and was a 2004 New York Times Notable Book. In 2010, he was named one of The New Yorker's “20 Under 40.” He is currently a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute. His most recent publication, The Free World, was named a New York Times Notable Book for 2011 and will be available as a Picador paperback in April 2012.