Oscar Hijuelos (his last name is pronounced "Ewaylos") was born in New York City on August 24, 1951. His parents came from the Oriente province of Cuba, emigrating in 1943 to the Spanish Harlem section of New York, which is where the author grew up. As a teenager in the 1960s, Hijuelos played guitar in Top 40 bands. He attended City College of New York, receiving a bachelor of arts degree in 1975 and a master's degree in creative writing in 1976. After college, he worked for Transportation Display, Inc., an advertising firm, for seven years. During that time, he continued writing.

In 1978, his short story "Columbus Discovering America" received a Pushcart Press citation for "outstanding writer." Following that, he won an Oscar Cintas fiction writing grant for 1978-1979; a Bread Loaf Writers Conference scholarship in 1980; a fiction writing grant from Creative Artists Programs Service in 1982; and a grant from...