Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645), author of The Swindler, was a prolific writer of poetry and prose and closely involved in Spanish and Italian politics. After killing an opponent in a duel in 1611, he moved to Italy where he spent some time as a prison governer, and some time imprisoned in a monastery as a result of his writings. The authorship of Lazarillo is unknown.
Michael Alpert is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wesminster and has published widely on Spanish history.