When I Was Mortal collects a dozen stories by Javier Marias, "justly considered the most talented Spanish author alive" (Il Messaggero). Victims of mistaken identity, amateur sleuths, professional liars, eavesdroppers, assassins, and failed bodyguards populate these remarkable tales. Plots turn on curious exigencies --- a woman about to star in her first porn film; a night doctor who adds new meaning to "specialist"; a neglectful ghost. Javier Marias was born in Madrid in 1951. His novels (which have sold more than two and a half million copies worldwide) have been translated into two dozen languages and have won the Ciudad de Barcelona prize, The Spanish Critics' Award, the Premio Internacional de Novela Romulo Gallegos, the Prize Femina Etranger, the Nelly-Sachs Prize, and the Dublin International Impac Award.