Mercedes Aguirre lives in Madrid, Spain and has both a degree and a doctorate in Classic Philology. She has lectured in Philology in the Universidad Complutense since the 1980s and has extensive academic links with the UK, where she spends a good deal of her time. For several years she has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Bristol and has also been elected a Life Member of Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge. Mercedes is the author of several novels and collections of short stories and is heavily involved in the literary scene, attending literary festivals and book groups each year. When in the UK she is based in North Somerset.