Carlos Fuentes Macías was a prominent Mexican novelist and essayist. Born on November 11, 1928, Fuentes became one of the most admired writers in the Spanish-speaking world. His notable works include The Death of Artemio Cruz (1962), Aura (1962), Terra Nostra (1975), The Old Gringo (1985), and Christopher Unborn (1987).

The New York Times hailed him as an important influence on the Latin American Boom, a significant period in Latin American literature during the 1960s and '70s. The Guardian recognized him as "Mexico's most celebrated novelist." Despite being frequently nominated, he never won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Among his many literary honors were the Miguel de Cervantes Prize and Mexico's highest accolade, the Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor (1999).