[Author] MANUEL DE PEDROLO was born in L'Arany� (Lleida), Eastern Catalonia, in 1918 and died in Barcelona in 1990. A prolific writer in all genres, Pedrolo experimented with new forms and content. He fought on the side of the Republican during the Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939), and was a critic of the repressive policies of Franco's regime (1939 - 1975), which included censorship of the Catalan language. Within the field of science fiction, Pedrolo's greatest contribution was without a doubt Typescript of the Second Origin. [Translator] SARA MART�N is a senior lecturer in English literature and cultural studies at the Universitat Aut�noma de Barcelona. As a researcher she specializes in popular fiction, particularly gothic and science fiction, and in gender studies. This is her first literary translation into English. [Foreword] KIM STANLEY ROBINSON is an American writer of science fiction. He has published nineteen novels and numerous short stories but is best known for his Mars trilogy. Robinson has won many awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel, and the World Fantasy Award.