Rosa Montero was born in Madrid, Spain, on 3 January 1951. Suffering from tubercolosis, she was house-bound between the ages of 5 and 9, dedicating much of her time to reading and writing. In 1968, she obtained her philosophy degree and started collaborating to some avant-guarde theatre projects, with groups such as Tábano or Canon. The following year, she enrolled on a journalism course at the Escuela de Periodismo and soon started working for local newspapers, until she had her own section in "Tele-Radio". She collaborated to many different newspapers and magazines, either as a reporter or interviewer, and also spent two years working for the television network TVE as a reporter and special correspondent in Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, etc. Her first novel was published in 1979. In 1980 she was appointed chief editor of "El País Semanal". She also wrote scenarios for television, a libretto for an opera based on one of her novels, and a number of children's books. She was rewarded with prizes both as a journalist and as an author.