Esther Tusquets i Guillén (Barcelona, 1936-2012). She held a degree in Philosophy and Humanities from the University of Barcelona, after having studied at the German School. After completing her degree, she worked as a teacher in an academy until 1960, when she was hired to direct the Lumen publishing house, a job she kept until 2000. At Lumen, she changed the editorial line to gear it more towards literary works. In 1996, she sold 80% of its shares to Plaza & Janés, and when she retired in 2001, Lumen became part of the Random House Mondadori Group. Parallel to her work as a publisher, Esther Tusquets also wrote novels, stories, essays and biographies. In 2005, she was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi (Saint George’s Cross).