RUI UMEZAWA is a storyteller, essayist and novelist. Born in Tokyo, he left Japan as a child when his father, a theoretical physicist, pursued career opportunities in Europe and North America. Rui studied comparative literature and has an M.A. from the University of Alberta. He is the author of a picture book, Aiko’s Flowers (illustrated by Yuji Ando). His adult novel, The Truth About Death and Dying (called “a dazzling tour-de-force” by Canadian Literature), was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize for Best First Book (Canada and the Caribbean).