Gene Rodman Wolfe was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, born on May 7, 1931, in New York and passed away on April 14, 2019, in Peoria, Illinois. He was renowned for his dense, allusive prose and the significant influence of his Catholic faith, which he embraced after marrying a Catholic. Wolfe served in the Korean War and later graduated from the University of Houston, after dropping out from Texas A&M University. He worked as an engineer, notably designing part of the machine that produces Pringles potato chips, and later as the editor of a professional engineering magazine, Plant Engineering.

Wolfe was a prolific writer, having published over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories. He was best known for his Book of the New Sun series, the first part of his "Solar Cycle". His work often featured complex narratives and deep characterizations, frequently utilizing unreliable or fallible narrators to explore themes of memory and morality.

Wolfe received numerous awards, including the British Science Fiction, World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Locus, Nebula, and Campbell Memorial Awards. In 2012, he was recognized as the 29th Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and has been described as "the Melville of science fiction".