Iulian Ciocan (b. 1968) is a novelist, literary critic, author, and presenter of a long-running Radio Free Europe broadcast about everyday life and current affairs in the Republic of Moldova. His novels include Before Brezhnev Died, The Realm of Sasha Kozak, and In the Morning the Russians Will Arrive, which together form a trilogy of Moldova past, present, and future, and most recently The Queen of Hearts. Alistair Ian Blyth, a native of Sunderland, England, has resided for many years in Bucharest. His previous translations include The Bulgarian Truck by Dumitru Tsepenaeg, The Encounter by Gabriela Adamesteanu, and I'm an Old Commie! by Dan Lungu, all available from Dalkey Archive Press.