Maximiliano Barrientos was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in 1979. He is considered one of the most relevant Latin American writers of his generation. Barrientos has contributed articles on literature, music, and cinema, as well as some of his chronicles, to the main magazines and cultural supplements in Bolivia.

In 2009, his collection of stories Diario received the Santa Cruz National Literature Award. His first two books, Los daños (2006) and Hoteles (2007), were revised, corrected, and transformed to become the volumes Fotos tuyas cuando empiezas a envejecer and Hoteles, respectively. Both volumes were published by Periférica in 2011 to critical acclaim and are in the process of being translated into several languages.