Paolo Cognetti (Author) Paolo Cognetti was born in 1978 in Milan. He divides his time between the city and his cabin 6,000 feet up in the Italian Alps. His international bestseller, The Eight Mountains, won Italy's Premio Strega and is now a major film. His other acclaimed titles include Without Ever Reaching the Summit- A Himalayan Journey, and The Lovers. Stash Luczkiw (Translator) Stash Luczkiw is a US-born writer of poetry, fiction and journalism. He has translated various books from Italian and other languages into English.