Javier Marías Franco (20 September 1951 – 11 September 2022) was a celebrated Spanish author, translator, and columnist. He published fifteen novels, including A Heart So White (Corazón tan blanco, 1992) and Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me (Mañana en la batalla piensa en mí, 1994). In addition to his novels, Marías also published three collections of short stories and various essays. His works have been translated into forty-six languages and sold around nine million copies internationally.

He received numerous awards for his literary contributions, such as the Rómulo Gallegos Prize (1995), the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (1997), the International Nonino Prize (2011), and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature (2011).

Marías studied philosophy and literature at the Complutense University of Madrid and later taught at several universities, including Oxford, Venice, and Wellesley College in Massachusetts. In 1997, he was given the honorary title of King of the Kingdom of Redonda for his literary accomplishments and contributions.